Engaging research centers in Africa on land use issues in support of Future Earth

Cheikh Mbow, ICRAF, FE SC MemberBerlin, 19 March 2014

Flash talk session, Global Land Project conference

Key Research Challenges related to land use in Africa

• An increase in agricultural land, and a corresponding decrease in forest cover;

• A sharp increase in heavily degraded lands from a combination of drivers;

• A competition in the uses of land resources

• Lack of critical links between various land management objectives

Managing the straddles between food and cash• Markets oriented or hunger sensitive

land use systems– managing the game-changers food to cash,

intensive to extensive etc.)• Improve and secure food production

while preserving environmental sustainability

• Clarify decisions spheres, participation, land planning, etc., in the context of decentralization

Harmonize land related information collection

• LULC monitoring Framework, Indicators

• An Ecosystem-Land Use System Information Base

• Information support hub for decision making

• Mainstreaming, capacity developement

• Scale of the information (what scale for decision making?) and scaling-up good practices

Spheres interconnection of Research for development in Land use systems

• A represents the space in which productive systems occur

Research centers,

Universities

• B represents the space in which sustainability should be pursued

Com

mun

ities

Nation

al&su

b

nation

al in

stitu

tions

Regulations, Rules,

Integration,

Research cannot have impact if these bubbles are not connected

Engaging Research Centers on main Challenges of Future Earth