Sustainable Land Management
News & Blogs
The potential of FMNR in Southern Africa
Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) is a low cost, easily replicated form of community owned natural resource restoration and management that contributes to both sustainable development goals and also to climate change mitigation and adaptation goals. FMNR has been used (under many different names) by communities throughout the world both in indigenous management systems, and […] Continue Reading
Linking fertilizer subsidies to sustainable farming with trees
A proposed new platform to link Southern Africa’s fertilizer subsidies to sustainable farming practices could be key to reversing the region’s land degradation crisis. The platform – which would be jointly sponsored by the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) and the Secretariat of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) – would aim to […] Continue Reading
Fertiliser trees restore impoverished land
In the Sahel, Acacia albida used to be the best known tree for restoring and enriching agricultural lands, by increasing the soil’s organic matter, nitrogen content and water holding capacity, as well as promoting valuable microbiological activity. But more than ten years ago, farmers discovered new fertiliser tree species to combat soil impoverishment. In Burkina […] Continue Reading
Green entrepreneurship: Empowering farmers for sustainable future
MWAZIPEZA CHANDA, Lusaka TRADITIONAL knowledge can help turn the tide against deforestation and poverty in Chongwe as more farmers become environmentally conscious and turn to ‘green farming’. Most communities in Chongwe’s farming area are experiencing low crop yields due to decreased soil fertility and unpredictable rain patterns over the years. Rampant tree cutting has caused […] Continue Reading
‘Climate-smart agriculture’ vital, researchers pontificate
AGRICULTURE across Africa must undergo a significant transformation to meet the multiple challenges of climate change, food insecurity, malnutrition, poverty and environmental degradation,a global agriculture research partnership for a food secure future has said. According to the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), the envisaged transformation includes the adoption of ‘Climate-Smart Agriculture’ (CSA) which […] Continue Reading
The ‘unlikely hero’ that transforms lands and livelihoods in Uganda
Poor soils make people poor. The people living in the area that borders Lake Victoria in Uganda know this for a fact: They have seen maize yields on their small plots of land dwindle, as they can often not afford the fertilizer the nitrogen-hungry crop requires to grow strong. Income and nutrition levels drop. The […] Continue Reading