HIVOS/Bioversity CGIAR/ERMCSD/Norad regional project
Landscapes for people, food and nature: Strengthening Capacity of Civil Society to scale up Integrated Agricultural Landscape Management in Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania.
The project will be proposed, closely aligned with and supported by national policies in three countries namely Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia. Africa’s vast lands, forests, soils, abundant sunshine and enormous yield gaps present lucrative opportunities for agriculture expansion and intensification. The shape that agricultural systems take in the next 5-10 years will be a determining factor for conservation systems over the next 100 years.
Sustainable agriculture, agro ecological practices, climate smart agriculture and other production approaches have emerged in recent years to promote agricultural systems that increase food security, protect restore and improve use efficiency of resources, improve the resilience of agricultural systems to environmental change, and mitigate climate change.
EcoAgriculture partners organized the International Landscapes for people, Food, Nature Initiative launched in 2011. Initiative is building a broad coalition to strengthen and scale up integrated landscape approaches where the demand for food production, improved livelihoods, and biodiversity and ecosystems conservation require new synergistic solutions. Initiative is based on collaboration among diverse organizations leveraging their collective experience, strengths and comparative advantages. It has nine co-organizer agencies. Biodiversity International, conservation International, Ecoagriculture Partners , the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), THE United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP), World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), World Resources Institute(WRI) and the Government of the Netherlands Ministry of Agriculture, Economic Affairs and Innovation.
Alignment with Norad priorities.
The project will be well aligned with Norad priorities and current activities in the three countries. Landscapes approaches integrating forest and agriculture strategies are becoming more important in REDD+ strategies, particularly in Tanzania. Norad has supported the Global Water Partnership[ in both Kenya and Ethiopia to advance integrated water resource management.
The goal this project will aim at achieving will be to strengthen the capacity of civil society to scale up and strengthen the effectiveness of integrated landscape management initiatives that seek to jointly achieve sustainable agriculture, healthy ecosystems and biodiversity, adaptation to climate change, and mitigation of climate change, while enhancing the well- being and self-realization of low-income households and communities in rural Africa.
Some project components include, Strengthening institutional effectiveness of multi- stakeholder initiatives in 3 learning Landscapes, Expected outcomes 60 landscape leaders (40% women) have and are applying new skills in integrated landscape planning and implementation and monitoring.
The three Learning Landscapes will be the Lari Landscape, in Kenya which is in the central highlands of Kenya, Tarangire Manyara Natron Kilimanjaro Ecosystem, Tanzania which is home to and provides for over half a million Maasi, WaArusha, WaAmeru, WaRwa, WaIraqw, WaMbugwe people and lastly Mugalate Sub-catchment , Ethiopia which is in the semi-arid highlands of Tigray
Partners in this project and also sub0grantees will be Ethiopia, the water and land Resource Centre (WLRC), Kenya, the Kijabe Environment Volunteers (KENVO) formed in 1994 by members of the local community who wanted to hault the rapid destruction of local forests. Environmental Resource Management Centre for Sustainable Development (ERMCSD) an International non-governmental organization for affiliate members. In Tanzania the African Wildlife Foundation will be involved.
