Side Event 4: Transforming livelihoods and landscapes: rehabilitation and restoration of African drylands

Landscape restoration has gained momentum in the past decade being widely promoted as a solution to the chronic problems of deforestation, land degradation and desertification and resource—based conflicts. Several promising approaches are being tested, and evidence is emerging that land restoration in dryland areas, focusing on rainwater harvesting and tree-based interventions such as Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) and agroforestry can be catalysts, drivers and incentives for land restoration, and improve the resilience and wellbeing of smallholder farmers.

This event will share experiences across a multiple set of stakeholders, present evidence and facilitate learning among policy makers, scientists, extension agents and farmers regarding landscape restoration approaches that integrate rainwater harvesting, agricultural land restoration, afforestation and infrastructural development. The session will open with a keynote address on global trends in land and forest restoration focusing on the progress in Africa, followed by a panel discussion on how land restoration is being tackled at national and sub-national levels and three case studies that illustrate local initiatives of integrating water management and trees in landscape restoration. The closing will  explore the lessons and further needs for integrated landscape restoration.

This event will provide answers to the following key questions:

1. Land restoration-where, how, by whom, with whom and for whom?
2. What are the processes, tools, technologies, outcomes, bottlenecks, challenges and lessons learnt?
3. Think global, act local: integrating watershed management and tree-based interventions in landscape restoration at local level.
4. What are the appropriate institutions and mechanisms for landscape restoration at the local, regional, and national level?

Organizers

The event is organised by ICRAF and World Vision Australia who are coordinating and supporting the Dutch funded Drylands Development Programme (implemented in five countries in collaboration with 21 NGOs in the Sahel and Horn of Africa) and the EU funded programme “Reversing Land Degradation by Scaling up Evergreen Agriculture” (implemented in eight countries in East and West Africa by a consortium of research and development partners).

Programme

Facilitator: Dr. Peter Minang

0900-0910 Opening address – Global perspective of integrating water and tree-based interventions in landscape restoration Dr. Ravi Prabu DDG World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF)

 0910 – 0925      Governance and land restoration

 Panel (each 5min max)

1. Susan Chomba, Programme Manager ICRAF: Land restoration through tree-based/agroforestry interventions.
2. Dr Eyasu Abrha, State Minister for Agriculture & Natural Resources: National level land restoration efforts and achievements, Ethiopia
3. Robert Kisyula, Minister for Water, Irrigation & Environment, Makueni County, Kenya: The Billion Dollar Business Alliance
4. Edward Hewitt, The Nature Conservancy: Investments in tree planting

0925—0935     Plenary (10 min)

 0935-1005 Landscape restoration: innovations and outcomes (presentations)

Facilitator: Dr. Phosiso Sola

1. Eric Wanga ADRA Kenya: On farm rainwater harvesting and tree planting in Kenya (Video)
2. Assefa Tofu World Vision Ethiopia: Outcomes of land restoration on livelihoods, youth and migration
3. Abdoulaye Sanoussi, KARAKARA: Pastoral land restoration, Niger

1005—1025Plenary (20 min) The future outcomes and impacts of land restoration — extracting lessons

1025—1030 Closing remarks:Dr Alice Kaudia,Environmental Secretary