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Ethiopia is seeing positive results from massive scale land restoration efforts under its Green Legacy Initiative (GLI), which has so far generated more than 760,000 jobs, a government minister told a gathering of 55 people at a recent workshop hosted by the Food Systems, Land Use and Restoration Impact Program (FOLUR).
Over the past six years, more than 29 million people have planted 40 billion native and fruit tree seedlings, boosting forest cover across a quarter of the country’s land mass, an increase of almost 40 percent since 2019. Newly established or improved tree nurseries now number 120,000.
Financial and technical support from the World Bank and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) are vitally important to the success and sustainability of the initiative, said Ato Seyoum Mekonnen, State Minister of the Ministry of Planning and Development, who opened the workshop in the capital Addis Ababa
“We’ve reached a critical juncture in the course of our development efforts – a time when nature-based solutions are a must-to-do rather than alternatives," Mekonnen said. “Practical measures informed by scientific and socio-economic realities are expected at all levels to reverse and sustain our natural assets.
The FOLUR Ethiopia project involves a range of stakeholders and rightsholders working across sectors in four biodiverse coffee-producing regions.
It is one of 27 country projects included in FOLUR, $345 million program funded by GEF and led by the World Bank designed to transform food and land use systems along value chains for eight major commodities, including livestock, cocoa, coffee, maize, palm oil, rice, soy, and wheat.
In addition to Ethiopia, representatives from Cote D’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda participated in the workshop, titled Scaling Nature Based Solutions in Africa, in February which explored agricultural innovations that have the potential to transform the cocoa and coffee sector.
Discussions focused on soil health, the economics and implementation of nature-based solutions, and innovative policy instruments that can improve access to finance. Other conversations centered on the latest research, science-based evidence, insights into effective interventions, and requirements for expansion.
Countries also presented success stories on adopting restoration activities. FOLUR Kenya shared an example from its partnership with the Global Coffee Platform. By introducing shade trees into agroforestry systems on coffee farms carbon storage capacity increased to 43 tons of carbon per hectare versus 11 tons in monocultures. Farmers also reported higher soil moisture retention and reduced costs.
Delegates and presenters at the workshop included representatives from NBS Invest – a project led by the World Bank and funded by GEF to accelerate nature-based restoration activities as a solution to environmental challenges in least developed countries – and the World Bank Lowlands Livelihood Resilience Project (LLRP) designed to support climate resilience in pastoral and agropastoral communities in the Ethiopian lowlands.
Ethiopia’s nature-based efforts to address environmental and climate change concerns recognize that climate, biodiversity and human society are irrevocably entwined,” said Dinara Akhmetova, a senior natural resources expert at the World Bank who leads NBS Invest and jointly manages FOLUR. “The country’s restoration efforts are exemplary, demonstrating how successful economic and social outcomes result from effective integrated land management policies.”
The nature-based solutions approach is a cost-effective means of achieving net zero emissions in the agrifood system.
“Nature can deliver 72 percent of the cost-effective solutions globally by 2050 and boost resilience,” said Alexander Lotsch, senior climate finance specialist at the World Bank. “It is critical to build institutional capacity to develop appropriate governance and regulatory frameworks to bridge knowledge gaps, and design policy instruments for the adoption of nature-based solutions."
Financing for the transition to nature-based solutions remains a challenge because as a public good, it is difficult to drive capital and capture revenues from nature.
“Through concerted efforts to develop new business models, we can overcome challenges and funnel capital to nature-based solutions," said Chris Brett, Global Agribusiness Specialist at the World Bank and joint manager of FOLUR.
Brett led discussions at the workshop on an initiative led by Italy under the G7 umbrella which is developing public-private funds to build sustainable and resilient coffee value chains to transition coffee supply chains toward greater resilience through equity and efficiency.
Collaboration with the private sector is a key aspect of Ghana’s strategies on cocoa and forest plantations as a way to promote sustainability, restore ecosystems, farm biodiversity and increased productivity.
The country is working with a range of firms – including chocolate maker and processor Barry Callebaut, agribusinesses Cargill and Olam, and food and drinks company Nestle – on a range of sustainable initiatives from agroforestry to the application of organic fertilizers, water management, and farmer training. Mondelēz International’s Cocoa Life Program also supports sustainable cocoa farming, while Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade Certifications encourage responsible cocoa production.
“Restoration of the cocoa landscape is essential to ensuring environmental conservation and farmer livelihoods in Ghana,” said Salma Limann, Senior Project Developer at the government-led Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), which markets and supports cocoa production marketing and processing. “Climate change poses a real and increasing threat to cocoa production due to deforestation and environmental degradation.”
Experts from Alliance Biodiversity International (CIAT), Climate Policy Initiative, World Resources Institute, Global Coffee Platform, World Business Council for Sustainable Development, and the International Livestock Research Institute also participated in the three-day workshop.
[By Julie Mollins and Ishita Kaushik - March 18, 2024]
