The CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE)
Led by IWMI
The challenges facing our global food
production systems
Food security . . . Exploitation of resources . . .
The challenges
change . . . climatic, demographic, economic
We have exceeded three of the nine Planetary
boundaries – danger of greater risks and
uncertainty emerging
Agriculture is the dominant contributing factor
and the solution
How do we transform agriculture to meet
human prosperity and global sustainability?
By focusing on ecosystem services based approaches
that
• increase agricultural production and
• strengthen people’s livelihoods
A virtuous circle that triggers change to
a more resilient state
S
SRecurrent droughts,
increasing climate
variability, poor
connection to markets
Local markets
Producers self-esteem
Improved rangeland
production replacing
US$15 / goat of stock
feed value
Improved livestock:
US$ 50 per goat
Goat mortality
down to 10%
Rainfed maize cropping: US$16/ha
Livestock: US$10 per goat
Benefit sharing mechanisms in the Andes
Fuquene, Colombia
S
Annual net income:
US$ 2,183/ha
Annual net income:
US$ 1,870/ha
Conservation
agriculture and
paramo
restoration
supported by
revolving fund
Revolving fund credit:
+180 farmers /year
Potato cropping,
grazing pressure,
degradation of paramo
4. Variability
management3. Addressing
degradation
1. Harnessing
productivity
2. Business
models
. . . with targeted interventions in 7 focal regions
Examples of WLE integrated work in
Africa
Land Degradation is a Classic
‘Wicked Problem’
Now is an exciting
time for renewed
coordinated efforts
towards a ‘land
degradation neutral
(or better!) world’
More than 95 million ha of arable land, or
75% of the total in SSA has degraded or
highly degraded soil
Farmers lose eight million tons of soil
nutrients each year, estimated to be worth
$4 billion...
More than 95 million ha of arable land, or
75% of the total in SSA has degraded or
highly degraded soil
Farmers lose eight million tons of soil
nutrients each year, estimated to be worth
$4 billion...
Advances in research
Social Science
CIRAD IWMI, CPWF, CIAT, WRI
Inclusion of the people’s voice within the scientific research framework at many scales
Wet seasonDry season
Soil Science RS/GISCIAT, ICRAF, CU, ISRIC, Purdue,
FAO-GSP, countries in sub-
Saharan Africa and Latin America
Diagnosing, assessing and mapping
Ero
sion
pre
va
len
ce
Soil pH
Volta Basin
Soil CarbonDigital Soil Map
Advances in research
Ecosystem Services
Trade-off Analysis
Environmental EconomicsIFPRI, Bioversity, CIAT, IWMI, CPWF, ELD
Costs of Action vs. Cost of Inaction
InVEST Framework
Supply Demand
Advances in research
Study Landscapes in Focal Regions
+/-10 Study
Landscapes Tanzania, Malawi, Kenya,
Ethiopia, Ghana, Burkina
Faso, Niger, Lao PDR,
Cambodia, Myanmar,
Nicaragua, El Salvador
Building on CPWF and other
Programs
Working withFTA
CCAFS
Humidtropics
Dryland Systems
Gender, Poverty and
Institutions
Gender embedded
Towards:
• More equitable access to water,
land and ecosystems services
• Improved decision making - inclusion in resource
management
Research questions:
• The African farmer and her husband: Feminization of
agriculture
• Mother and earth: Replenishing and fostering agriculture
Develop:
• Investable options for women
Poverty
InstitutionsGender
Ecosystem Services as
a result of
poverty alleviation
Ecosystem Services as
means to
poverty alleviation
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20
40
60
80
100
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-81
Flo
w (
m3s-1
)
Daily flow with and without floodplain
Without floodplain (simulated) With floodplain (observed)
Flow Regulation in the Luswishi Floodplain
Understanding how ecosystems
affect livelihoods
M. McCartney (IWMI)
Ecosystem Services by
whom and for whom?
Rainfall
less than 900 mmyr-1
Greater
than 900 mmyr-1
F. Kizito (CIAT)
Our vision:
A world in which agriculture thrives within vibrant ecosystems, where communities have higher incomes, improved food security and the ability to continuously improve their lives
wle.cgiar.org
Issues for discussion
What is the relevance of an ecosystem services based approach to unlock agricultural productivity in Africa ?
What are the barriers to such an approach ?