Safeguarding the seeds of our future

Africa stands at the forefront of global efforts to conserve and harness the diversity of crops essential for food security and climate resilience. As climate change intensifies, the region’s rich plant genetic resources — from traditional farmers’ varieties to wild relatives — are vital for building resilient, productive and sustainable agrifood systems.

The Third Report on the State of the World’s Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, produced by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) under the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, presents a global assessment of progress from 2011 to 2022, drawing on data from 128 countries and 17 regional and international centres.

The Regional Launch of the report for Africa, hosted by FAO in collaboration with the Centre for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), will convene policymakers, researchers, and development partners to examine the findings, discuss policy implications, and define priorities for action across the continent.

Why this matters

The report highlights both progress made and persistent gaps in how nations conserve and utilise their plant genetic resources. Its findings serve as an urgent call to action — to strengthen policies, build institutional capacity and harness crop diversity for climate-resilient and nutrition-sensitive agriculture in Africa.

Objectives

• Present the key findings of the report in Africa and discuss their implications for the continent.
• Facilitate high-level dialogue on regional priorities for policy and strategy development, related to the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. This will take place during a dedicated high-level segment, engaging senior policymakers and institutional leaders.
• Showcase successful initiatives and lessons learnt from stakeholders working on plant genetic resources for food and agriculture conservation and use across Africa through a technical session that will explore achievements, challenges and perspectives for future action.
• Strengthen regional collaboration and knowledge exchange among stakeholders by bringing together representatives from governments, research institutions and partner organisations.

Nature Powered Solutions: Where Natural Systems Meet Human Innovation

Climate Correction 2026 will explore the powerful intersection where the wisdom of nature meets the ingenuity of human design. This year’s theme, “Nature Powered Solutions,” celebrates the ways natural systems inspire and inform the technologies, policies, and partnerships, shaping a resilient future. We’ll spotlight innovations that work with nature, not against it, proving that the path to climate progress is one powered by both science and the natural world.

Join us in Orlando for this transformative event where you can learn, connect, and engage with climate leaders across various fields.

Nature lovers of all kinds, Reforest Fest is returning! Since 2011, this has been Greenpop’s flagship event. It’s a four-day immersive experience where environmental stewardship meets a vibrant celebration of life. Gather your green-hearted friends for a weekend of growth, music, and community.

About the Event

The third event of the Cross-Learning Series hosted by Knowledge for Great Green Wall Action (K4GGWA) will take a close look at rangelands and pastures, the ecological system that dominates the drylands of Africa and strongly supports rural livelihoods and local economies.

Grasslands cover a huge part of the Earth (up to 28%) and hold massive amounts of carbon. When they’re managed badly, it damages the climate, biodiversity, and local communities. We’re looking at Holistic Grazing Management (HGM), which mimics natural herd movements to make the land healthier, boost biodiversity, and make ranchers and pastoralists more productive and resilient.

Join top rangeland practitioners, insightful experts, researchers, policymakers, and community leaders from across Africa to discuss how to restore Africa’s iconic rangelands. You will experience a blend of expert insights and peer-to-peer learning through engaging breakout discussions.

Note: This is an online event with French – English simultaneous translation.

What to Expect

• Understand the problems facing African grasslands
• Learn the basic soil science behind good grazing
• Hear from people actually doing this work
• Get practical insights into HGM and how it helps the land and the people
• See how HGM fits into the Great Green Wall initiatives
• Get a chance to network and share experiences with peers across Africa
• Build on insights from previous K4GGWA Cross-Learning sessions

Key Concepts

• The Problem: Practices like ‘set stocking’ (leaving animals in the same plot for extended periods) degrades the soil – animals overgraze what they like and their manure fertilizes what they don’t. Fences and infrastructure block wildlife migrations.
• Grass Power: Grasses are unique because they grow from the base, so they can survive being grazed, unlike most other plants.
• How Good Grazing Works: If you let the grass rest after grazing, it rebuilds its roots and helps create rich soil. In nature, predators keep the herds moving, forcing this rest.
• Two Effective Strategies:
  • Nomadic Pastoralism: The old-school, effective way that mimics natural migrations.
  • Holistic Grazing Management (HGM) / Adaptive Multi-Paddock (AMP): This is the modern, farm-scale way. You use small paddocks, graze them quickly, and then give them plenty of rest. This is what helps restore the land.
• Big Deal: Managed grazing is now recognized as important by groups like the FAO and UN, and 2026 is even the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists!

👥 Speakers & Contributors

Who Should Attend

• Livestock and agriculture researchers
• Farmer groups and community leaders
• Policymakers in Great Green Wall countries
• NGOs and rural development practitioners
• Donors and international development partners
• Journalists covering land and food systems

Agroforestry and Trees Outside Forests (AF-TOF) systems are vital for South Asia’s ecological health, rural livelihoods, and climate resilience. These multifunctional land-use systems are deeply embedded in the region’s agricultural and cultural fabric, offering food, fodder, fuelwood, timber, and ecosystem services to millions of people. Yet, their full potential remains untapped.

Despite favourable agroecological conditions and growing domestic demand for wood and tree-based products, South Asian countries remain heavily dependent on imports, with the regional wood trade deficit crossing USD 9 billion in 2022. At the same time, AF-TOF systems face persistent challenges, including restrictive policies, underdeveloped value chains, inadequate investment, and limited technical support.

TREESCAPES 2026 will be a pivotal platform to spotlight the potential of agroforestry and trees outside forests. As the first such regional congress, the event will bring together policymakers, researchers, industry leaders, civil society, farmers, and youth from across South Asia to exchange knowledge, showcase best practices, and explore innovative solutions to mainstream and scale AF-TOF systems in the South Asian region.

The European Center of Sustainable Development (ECSDEV), in collaboration with CIT University, is organizing ICSD 2026 under the theme “Creating a Unified Foundation for Sustainable Development: Research, Practice and Education”.

The conference will address environmental, economic and socio-cultural sustainability, fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and research-based solutions to global challenges and the efficient use of resources.