Greening the African Horizon

GLF Africa 2024: Greening the African Horizon was held on 17 September in Nairobi, Kenya and online by the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF). The conference brought together thousands of participants including representatives of local communities, Indigenous Peoples and private firms, along with youth leaders, policymakers, scientists and innovators. The attendees came from across the globe to explore Africa’s immense potential to construct a resilient, equitable future through its landscapes.

A showcase for African innovation

Developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) under the Food Systems, Land Use and Restoration (FOLUR) Impact Program, a new framework is now being piloted in India, Kenya, Nicaragua, Nigeria and Vietnam to accelerate sustainable production, restore ecosystems and alleviate pressure on forests. This framework brings together experts and landscape actors to explore integrated landscape management and its impact on smallholder farmers and food value chains.

By integrating local knowledge with cutting-edge technology and the latest science, the GLF is creating an AI hub to promote community-driven AI solutions that challenge the status quo. It will connect landscape actors and create interdisciplinary alliances to foster collaboration, innovation and inclusive knowledge.

“We need to design systems that are appropriate for the context of Africa. We need data from the places that we’re trying to understand in order to build better models. In western Kenya, for example, we need a context-aware model that can interpret intercropping in small-scale practices,” said Catherine Nakalembe, Associate Research Professor at the University of Maryland and Africa Program Director at NASA Harvest.

Challenges in tree planting

A key aspect of restoring forests is planting trees, which in turn requires effective tree seed and seedling delivery systems. At a session hosted by the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF) titled “A transformative partnership platform for tree seed and seedling delivery systems,” panellists and participants explored some of the major challenges in tree planting, including a lack of technical capacity and stakeholder coordination. They emphasized the need to develop a market for demand-driven native tree species, to engage communities through participatory approaches and to share knowledge and resources broadly through stakeholder networks such as the nascent Transformative Partnership Platform (TPP).

Africa’s future is present

Africa’s population boom has been well documented, and speakers emphasised the importance of ensuring that this young demographic plays an active role in shaping the continent’s future.

“Seventy per cent of the African population is under the age of 35. Youth make up a very important and critical part of the population. The biodiversity and climate crisis requires a whole-of-society approach – everyone must take action,” said Simangele Msweli, Senior Manager for the Youth Leadership Program at the African Wildlife Foundation.

Africa needs to come up with African solutions

“There is a need to decolonise how we do climate justice and land restoration. Whatever has happened on other continents, whatever the donors and the granters are saying might not be the solution for Africa. There is a need for Africa to come up with African solutions. There is a need for women to be involved in coming up with solutions to land issues,” said Deborah Oyugi, English Countries Manager and Safeguarding Lead at Youth Initiative for Land in Africa (Yilaa).

(GLF/ile)

Visit the Conference Website