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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100

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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 ?