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Cherishing and strengthening biodiversity for our future (Vol. 4, Issue 3)

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Dear subscribers to the FTA newsletter, I hope that you and your families are safe and coping, staying healthy during this difficult period. We face a unique moment in history. As much as we need to, collectively, protect ourselves and our loved ones from the threats of the pandemic, this is also a moment to realize how we are all interdependent, sharing a planet and its resources, a moment to reflect upon the absolute importance of safeguarding the environment. We all expected 2020 to be the “biodiversity super-year”, what we were not expecting was something like covid-19 to put the spotlight on our relations with ecosystems, between our health, animal health and environmental health. It can be read as a more sign of the absolute need to change the way natural resources and habitats are managed: time is running out. Never like today the role and importance of trees, forests and agroforestry systems to support the resilience of ecosystems and social systems to shocks has been so evident. FTA has a long tradition of research and advocacy on these issues and we will continue to expand them even more so. Indeed, in spite of most FTA researchers being under lockdown, our work does not stop and as a research community we believe it is important to share with you our progress and achievements. Two weeks ago our lead partner CIFOR organized an incredibly well attended webinar with a Q&A session and over 500+ live attendees, on what a ban on wild meat could imply for millions of forests dwellers. The video can be replayed entirely. More similar webinars are in the making. We also proudly released our new Gender Action Plan, a milestone document that builds on the work of our dear Esther Mwangi, recently passed away, integrating new challenges and proposing a transformative approach to research. On 21st of March we celebrated the International Day of Forests while on the 22nd of April Mother Earth’s Day, in both occasions we developed engaging stories that link our research to broader themes – you will find them in this newsletter along with an incredible wealth of information from all our partners. We all hope that we will soon come back to normality, though it may take more time than what we are willing to accept right now. As foresters we are used to having long term perspective. It is an additional strength in a period of uncertainty. In similar times of threat and change, mankind has often been able to change and improve; this is what we should hope and strive for: cherishing, nurturing and strengthening biodiversity for the future of our planet and mankind. Vincent Gitz

FTA Director

Special feature

Sentinel Solutions for the Anthropocene

On International Mother Earth’s Day FTA published a longform article talking about the work our scientists have done in the Nicaragua-Honduras Sentinel Landscape, for which a report has just been released. imagethumb.jpg The Sentinel Landscapes initiative is an audacious commitment to collect data on biophysical, social, economic and political dimensions across and monitor respective indicators across a network of eight carefully chosen tropical forest landscapes over extended periods of time. The Sentinel Landscapes program is the global health check that we desperately need so that we can face climate change, land degradation, poverty and food security with clear vision. imagethumb.jpg The idea for Sentinel Landscapes was hatched during conversations between colleagues at World Agroforestry (ICRAF) and CIFOR in 2011 and 2012. Since those first conversations, more and more academic organizations have joined the FTA program and participated to the Sentinel landscapes initiative, including Agricultural Research for Development (CIRAD), Bioversity International, Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE) and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture. In the words of one scientist, it has always been “super collaborative”. Dive into this incredible research journey.

 

News

 

COVID-19-led ban on wild meat could take protein off the table for millions of forest dwellers

imagethumb.jpgLack of access to wild meat could result in hunger and malnutrition for local and Indigenous communities. Conservationists have greeted China’s recent clampdown on wild animal hunting and consumption with enthusiasm. The government made the move based on scientific theories that COVID-19 was transmitted from a pangolin or a bat to humans in a market in the city of Wuhan. But this poses serious threats. See why. A webinar to discuss these issues was also organized by our partner CIFOR on the 16th of April, you can replay it fully here: More on Covid-19 from our partners:

FTA’s new Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Agenda and Action Plan 2020-2021 is released!

imagethumb.jpgThe revised version of the FTA gender strategy, called Gender Equality and Social Inclusion – A Revised Agenda and Action Plan for the CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry 2020-2021 draws on the program’s tradition of quality gender research and its experience strengthening gender integration across program activities and processes. Building on and complementing its original efforts and strategy, FTA continues to view gender integration in research as a fundamental part of doing good science (European Commission 2011), and approaches gender as a theme that cuts across every aspect of the FTA research portfolio. Read about it and download the document here.

Indonesia’s secret forests: Underground water world

imagethumb.jpgIn Java’s cultural heartland, a hidden world of caverns, clear water and mysterious creatures is an ecosystem like no other. Gunung Sewu, on the Indonesian island of Java, takes its name — which means “thousands of mountains” — from its sweeping landscape of conical hills. The area, which is a UNESCO geopark, stretches 120 kilometers east to west from the hills to the coast. But its real treasure lies deep underground, in a mysterious world of rivers and caverns, adorned with crystals, stalactites and stalagmites and inhabited by unusual creatures. Sculpted by water over millions of years, this subterranean system is a magnet for adventure seekers and a key reservoir for local communities. Enjoy a dive into this ecosystem.

Call for contributions ETFRN News 60: Restoring African drylands – EXTENDED UNTIL 2nd May midnight CEST!

imagethumb.jpgETFRN News 60 is coming up! It will focus on dryland landscape restoration, from government and private sector reforestation to farmer managed natural regeneration, improvements to grasslands and rainfed agriculture, changes in tenure and governance, management of exotic species and bush encroachment. If you have a story to tell on dryland restoration in Africa and would like to share it, send a short outline (half page to a page) to the co-editors Nick Pasiecznik (nick.pasiecznik@tropenbos.org) and Chris Reij (chris.reij@wri.org) by 2nd May 2020 midnight CEST. More information here.

Enhancing African orphan crops with genomics

imagethumb.jpgMalnutrition in many African nations is widespread but can be addressed by diversifying food systems with a wider range of nutritious crops. To support this, the African Orphan Crops Consortium is applying genome-enabled methods to improve the production of under-researched (‘orphan’) crops on the continent. “Orphan crops”, explains Ramni Jamnadass, lead author of a Comment piece about the Consortium just published in Nature Genetics, “are crops that have received only minor investments in the past, but often are well adapted to local environments and cultures and are nutritious, being rich in vitamins, essential minerals and other micronutrients important for healthy diets. The reasons for their past neglect include a focus over the last century on increasing the yields of major crops as the primary providers of calories but with less attention being given to providing crucial micronutrients.” Learn more about the AOCC here.

Seeds for trees: Survey from our partner Bioversity on seed supply chains in Southeast Asia

imagethumb.jpgGerminating seeds of Borneo Ironwood (Eusideroxylon zwageri) at a nursery in Sarawak, Malaysia. Restoration practitioners need information about the origin and quality of seed sources to select the right trees for their sites – trees that can survive and thrive under both current and future climates. But what information is commonly available about seed in markets, and is it sufficient for making the right choices? Fill in the online survey to find help us find out.

In the tropics, intact forests are losing their ability to absorb carbon

imagethumb.jpgThe capacity of intact tropical forests to absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide is declining, according to a new study published on 4 March in Nature. In the Amazon, peak carbon uptake appears to have occurred in the 1990s, whereas in Africa, it was reached 10 years later. Since then, this uptake has continued to decline. This challenges the idea that these forests can continue to sequester carbon for years to come. Scientists at CIRAD are nevertheless highlighting the role sustainably managed forests and forest plantations can play in reversing this trend. Read more here and download the publication here.

In The Gambia, controlling wild fire offers nature-based solution to diminishing wild food and hungry monkeys

imagethumb.jpgBurnt by fire, trees thicken bark: but a Green Climate Fund project encourages them to fruit instead. Ecosystem-based adaptation is an approach that strengthens ecosystem services to reduce the impact of climate change, protect communities from extreme weather and provide ecological benefits, such as clean water and food. Read how this approach is helping The Gambia’s transition toward a more climate-resilient, natural resource-based economy. Further read on the Banjul Tree Cover Resolution.

An Alliance for Trees: Why forest biodiversity is “too precious to lose”

imagethumb.jpgFrom forest fires to COVID-19, this year has already presented grave challenges to human and planetary health. Now more than ever, forests have an essential role to play. On the International Day of Forests our partner the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT outlined their research approaches to ensure better conservation and restoration, with selected examples from some of our projects around the world. Read more.

The role of agroforestry in forest restoration

imagethumb.jpgAgroforestry in the Philippines has been crucial in reversing the harmful effects of deforestation and forest degradation, generating sustainable economic and environmental benefits for upland and coastal communities and indigenous people’s groups. Find out more about this success story.

The role of forests at the turn of the decade: in conversation with René Boot, TBI’s Director

imagethumb.jpgA new decade has started, and international attention to forests seems at an all-time high. The 2010s were a decade of ambitious international commitments. The Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the New York Declaration on Forests, and the Warsaw REDD+ Agreement—all stress the need to conserve and restore millions of hectares of forests. Still, throughout the 2010s, deforestation rates have remained high. The 2020s will reveal whether these commitments will actually have an effect. Here René Boot, Director of Tropenbos International, reflects on the longer-term trends, and looks ahead at what lies in front of us. Read this interesting interview.

Forland project from CIRAD for sustainable and integrated territorial management

imagethumb.jpgAlready tested in Brazil, Colombia and Scotland, Forland is about to be deployed in other areas. This platform, developed by a consortium of five partners including CIRAD, is a valuable decision support tool for stakeholders involved in spatial planning. It was launched on 12 March in Nogent-sur-Marne, in the presence of representatives of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food. Read more about it here.

Vulnerability mapping for forest conservation and restoration

imagethumb.jpgOver the last two decades, forest conservation and restoration has emerged as one of the leading science-based efforts to mitigate human pressures on the earth’s ecosystems. However, the planning and coordination of these efforts are complex, because individual species respond differently to the variety of anthropogenic forces that threaten forest landscapes. Fortunately, that’s exactly the challenge that motivates vulnerability mapping efforts, as carried out in this article. Read more about it.

An exploratory study of cost-benefit analysis of landscape restoration

imagethumb.jpgOwing to increasing demand for landscape restoration and the limited resources available, economic analysis helps prioritize investments. Cost-benefit analysis is a commonly applied approach used in the economic analysis of landscape restoration as well as for strategizing allocation of resources. However, despite the growing amount of restoration, studies of the economic analysis of restoration itself are relatively few. To address this gap, scientists from World Agroforestry (ICRAF) conducted a systematic review of cost-benefit analyses for landscape restoration to understand the extent of existing studies. The studies were from different parts of the world although the majority were from Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Read about them in this article.

Banner photo by O. Girard/CIFOR. Special feature and news photos, from top, by: CGIAR – Forests, Trees and Agroforestry; CGIAR – Forests, Trees and Agroforestry; Axel Fassio/CIFOR; CIFOR; Faizal Abdul Aziz/CIFOR; Tropenbos International; Ollivier Girard/CIFOR; APFORGEN; Ricky Martin/CIFOR, Cathy Watson/World Agroforestry; R. Jalonen/Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT; Zarrel Noza/World Agroforestry; Tropenbos International; CIRAD; R.Atkinson/Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT; Ake Mamo/World Agroforestry.

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Recent publications


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Gender Equality and Social Inclusion: A Revised Agenda and Action Plan for the CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry 2020-2021

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Mapping tree species vulnerability to multiple threats as a guide to restoration and conservation of tropical dry forests

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Climate change policy networks: connecting adaptation and mitigation in multiplex networks in Peru

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Fostering natural forest regeneration on former agricultural land through economic and policy interventions

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Lao PDR’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC): Progress, opportunities, and challenges in the forestry sector

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Suivi indépendant des clauses sociales en République Démocratique du Congo

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Independent monitoring of social clauses in the Democratic Republic of Congo

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Unpacking ‘gender’ in joint forest management: Lessons from two Indian states

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Mangrove blue carbon stocks and dynamics are controlled by hydrogeomorphic settings and land-use change

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Designing for engagement: A Realist Synthesis Review of how context affects the outcomes of multi-stakeholder forums on land use and/or land-use change

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Collecting Evidence of FLEGT-VPA Impacts for Improved FLEGT Communication

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Cocoa agroforest multifunctionality and soil fertility explained by shade tree litter traits

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Designing for engagement: Insights for more equitable and resilient multi-stakeholder forums

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Models of participation in multi-stakeholder forums: Results of a realist synthesis review

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Total ecosystem carbon stocks of mangroves across broad global environmental and physical gradients

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The Influence of Forests on Freshwater Fish in the Tropics: A Systematic Review

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Aiming for Sustainability and Scalability: Community Engagement in Forest Payment Schemes

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Indigenous tenure security and local participation in climate mitigation programs: Exploring the institutional gaps of REDD+ implementation in the Peruvian Amazon

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Forest or oil palm plantation? Interpretation of local responses to the oil palm promises in Kalimantan, Indonesia

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Landscape and livelihood changes in Sabah: Development in Kampung Mangkawagu

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Soil carbon stocks in Indonesian (agro) forest transitions: Compaction conceals lower carbon concentrations in standard accounting

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Intersecting and dynamic gender rights to néré, a food tree species in Burkina Faso

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Ecosystem-based Adaptation Through the Lens of Community Preferences

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An Exploratory Study of Cost-Benefit Analysis of Landscape Restoration

Videos


COVID-19 and what it means for wild meat

When domestic policies are not enough: A call for a regional approach to wood fuel governance

INDONESIA’S SECRET FORESTS: Underground water world

Sub-Saharan Africa: Regional exchange on wood fuel policies

The CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (FTA) is the world’s largest research for development program to enhance the role of forests, trees and agroforestry in sustainable development and food security and to address climate change. CIFOR leads FTA in partnership with Bioversity International, CATIE, CIRAD, ICRAF, INBAR and TBI.

FTA thanks all donors who supported this research through their contributions to the CGIAR Trust Fund.

 
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  • IWD2020 – Ensuring equal rights for women, enabling them to achieve their potential (Vol. 4, Issue 2)

IWD2020 – Ensuring equal rights for women, enabling them to achieve their potential (Vol. 4, Issue 2)

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FTA communications

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This year’s UN theme of International Women’s Day, I am Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights, underlines the fact that, despite global advances in many different areas, the world is still far too many decades away from achieving gender equality. Importantly, 2020 marks the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, probably the most forward looking agenda for women’s rights and empowerment ever signed. So, this is a significant moment to look back at targets, take stock of what has been achieved and what still needs to be done. The year 2020 is a time to rethink our actions, from local to broader global interventions aimed at achieving gender equality and promoting the human rights of all women and girls.
 
Gender equality is a fundamental human right. Moreover, the current challenges faced in agriculture, natural resource management, biodiversity conservation and restoration within the context of climate change can only be addressed if we achieve full equality. This is why gender equality has always been high on FTA’s agenda. As FTA’s overall research agenda has evolved over the years, so too has the Program’s portfolio of gender and social inclusion research. For this reason, FTA has been working on a new Gender and Social Inclusion Research Agenda and Action Plan, which draws on a tradition of quality gender work within FTA centers and complements FTA’s original Gender Strategy (2013). This new document reflects thematic evolutions in FTA and methodological developments in gender research and praxis. It features an increased attention to the nexus between gender and generation (including ‘youth’), and efforts to make FTA’s research increasingly transformative. Stay tuned as this new Research Agenda and Action Plan will be available on www.foreststreesagroforestry.org in the coming weeks.
 
In our previous gender-focused newsletter (October 2019) we very sadly announced the loss of Dr Esther Mwangi, a staunch advocate for rural women’s rights, who led the crafting of FTA’s original Gender Strategy. Esther had been overseeing a longstanding research initiative on the progress of forest tenure reforms in Uganda and Kenya. This research has recently been published in the form of a collection of info briefs, which we share with you in her memoriam.
 
Realizing women’s rights means also that education, science and research must provide them with equal opportunities. Last 11th of February, on the occasion of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, Violet Chanza Black, a research assistant working on gender at the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, shared her personal experience of struggles and determination to obtain equal education as boys in her village. Violet was born in Mulanje, rural Malawi. Her early years involved considerable commuting from her village to the capital city (Lilongwe) to allow her to follow courses. Violet succeeded in achieving her objectives and now holds an MSc in Development Economics, majoring in Human Development and Food Security from the University of Roma Tre. Follow this link to hear Violet’s story – one shared by so many girls around the world – and views on gender equality.
 
You will find Violet’s compelling interview and, other updates on FTA gender research as well as developments in some priority research areas of FTA in this edition of the newsletter. We hope that these stories and FTA’s work in general will inspire you to reframe your actions towards a gender-equal world; one we all should contribute to and enjoy.
 
Vincent Gitz, FTA Director, and Marlène Elias, FTA Gender Research Coordinator

Special feature

Equal education rights: not an option

imagethumb.jpgFor the international day of women and girls in science (11 February) FTA sent out statements from our Flagship 1 Leader Ramni Jamnadass and Violet Chanza Black, a gender research assistant at the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT. Both stories talked about the struggle and ultimately the empowerment that these women obtained through education. Violet’s statement was somewhat extremely provoking. So we decided to find out more.

News

 

Ethiopian forests: a story of women

imagethumb.jpgRural women of Ethiopia are the backbone of the community and have a deep relationship with forests. However, because they are not part of community decision making, they are not playing the positive role they could in rebuilding and protecting ecosystems amid the growing threat of climate change. "Deforestation has already become not only a question of development but a question of survival." Learn more about Ethiopia's efforts to regreen its land and the need to empower the invisible warriors: women.

Gender perspectives on agroforestry cocoa production in Ecuador and Perú. Ideas towards an inclusive and sustainable intensification

imagethumb.jpgTwo examples of agroforestry focused on cocoa production – one in Ecuador, the other in Peru – show the benefits of the agroforestry systems to achieve food sovereignty, resilience against the effects of climate change and especially empowerment of women who still represent a vulnerable group, being marginalized from production decisions within the context of the peasant family hierarchy and often neglected by assistance programs. Interesting read (Spanish only).

Women’s place in Africa’s growing charcoal sector

imagethumb.jpgThe growing charcoal business in sub-Saharan Africa has often been seen as a male-dominated occupation, with few studies exploring gender dynamics. In reality, women are present throughout the value chain —from production to transport, sale and retail— and they play a vital role in sustaining rural livelihoods, especially in times of duress. See how.

Restoring Forests, Restoring Communities: Lessons from Shinyanga

imagethumb.jpgThe story begins in Shinyanga, northern Tanzania, with a landscape restoration project that is – or perhaps was – held up as a bright example of successful collaboration between government, conservation scientists and local communities. Priscilla Wainaina, agricultural economist at World Agroforestry (ICRAF), led a research team to investigate what made the Shinyanga restoration so successful. Read the full story.

Analyzing progress of forest tenure reforms in Kenya and Uganda

imagethumb.jpgA collection of briefs just released by CIFOR presents findings on the progress of forest tenure reforms in Uganda and Kenya, following the research of our deeply missed Esther Mwangi. Some of the primary questions tackled by the research were: Are these reforms helping to conserve forest resources and providing livelihood returns for local people? Are they improving land tenure security? What are the impacts on the rights of the poor, specifically women and ethnic minorities, and their access to forests and trees? What are the bottlenecks and is anything missing? What lessons and insights for policy and practice can already be drawn? Find out here.

How climate finance and technology could better integrate women

imagethumb.jpgAmid frustrated negotiations around Article 6 guidance on emissions counting and carbon markets, U.N. COP25 climate talks delivered a decision on a five-year enhanced Lima Work Program on Gender. The work program, initially embedded into the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change in 2014, is a commitment to advance gender balance and integrate gender considerations. Read the report here.


Banner photo by O. Girard/CIFOR. Special feature and news photos, from top, by: CIFOR; N. Elkington/CIFOR; CIFOR; A. Gonzalez/CIFOR; L. A. Duguma / ICRAF; O. Girard/CIFOR; J. Mollins/CIFOR.

Contact us


foreststreesagroforestry.org
     


Recent publications


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Where are the women? A review and conceptual framework for addressing gender equity in charcoal value chains in Sub-Saharan Africa


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Workshop on Gender and Indigenous Women's Rights in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Protecting Rights to Land and Forests


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Understanding and protecting our forest tenure rights and privileges: A guide to training of local community leaders in Uganda


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Guidelines on sustainable forest management in drylands of Ethiopia


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From Tree Planting to Tree Growing: Rethinking Ecosystem Restoration Through Trees


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Unpacking 'gender' in joint forest management: Lessons from two Indian states


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Assessing the Livelihood Vulnerability of Rural Indigenous Households to Climate Changes in Central Nepal, Himalaya


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Sustainable Development Goals: Their Impacts on Forests and People


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Book of Abstracts: 4th World Congress on Agroforestry


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Perspectivas de género sobre la producción de cacao agroforestal en Ecuador y Perú. Ideas para una intensificación inclusiva y sostenible

 


Videos


Gender Equality & Malnutrition Transformation


International Women’s Day 2020: FTA interview with Violet Chanza Black

 


Podcasts


How to catalyze gender equitable change (Markus Ihalainen)


Gender power relationships (Houria Hjoudi)

The CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (FTA) is the world’s largest research for development program to enhance the role of forests, trees and agroforestry in sustainable development and food security and to address climate change. CIFOR leads FTA in partnership with Bioversity International, CATIE, CIRAD, ICRAF, INBAR and TBI.

FTA thanks all donors who supported this research through their contributions to the CGIAR Trust Fund.

 
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  • Home
  • 13th Meeting of the Independent Steering Committee

13th Meeting of the Independent Steering Committee

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  • Home
  • Forest, trees and agroforestry for biodiversity – the new frontier of managed ecosystems (Vol. 4, Issue 1)

Forest, trees and agroforestry for biodiversity – the new frontier of managed ecosystems (Vol. 4, Issue 1)

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FTA communications

Forest, trees and agroforestry for biodiversity – the new frontier of managed ecosystems

This year 2020 has been called by many the Planet's super year. Among the many important milestones coming up, the countries of the world will meet in October in Kunming, China to craft the world's post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.
 
Preservation of biodiversity means urgently, meaningfully and, effectively preserving and protecting pristine ecosystems. Pristine forests and their ecosystems are the result of hundreds of millions of years of natural capital investments by our own Planet, an invaluable richness. Destroying them means destroying 70% of the world's terrestrial biodiversity, with potentially incommensurable consequences. This argument should suffice for world's leaders to make of the protection of pristine forests a worldwide top priority. Before it's too late.
 
But the role of forests and trees for biodiversity does not stop at the edge of pristine forests. Another key battlefield is the one of managed ecosystems, and first of agriculture, where the erosion of biodiversity has been staggering. With damages for agriculture itself, as the decline of pollinators worldwide sadly exemplifies, and with damages for nutrition, with an associated simplification of diets.
 
Much of the solution lies in reverting the worldwide trend towards agricultural and food systems simplification. And this is where the use of trees can crucially help. By promoting agroecological practices, increasing the use of trees on farm, and by promoting diverse tree products value chains.
 
Trees can bring a lot to landscapes and to farming systems, helping pursuing multiple objectives: improved food security, nutrition, livelihoods, climate change resilience and agrobiodiversity. FTA is producing evidence, approaches and tools to support stakeholders in comprehensive spatial planning and for farm managers to adopt agroecology. For instance, an extremely detailed map of West Kalimatan's vegetation is soon to be published, aiming at guiding policy makers' decisions in land planning.
 
The technical guideline Agroforestry systems for agroecological restoration – How to reconcile conservation with production: options for the Cerrado and the Caatinga originally released in 2016 in Portuguese was also recently translated in English and presented at COP25 in December. This document, rich in technical and scientific information will now be available to a much wider audience.
 
Trees and their products also provide a diversity of important nutrients and this needs to be more widely known by farmers, households and food value chain actors: this is why we developed a tree food Database and User Guide, with nutritional information for 132 tree foods (out of 99 species). Trees can form a key basis for more diverse and sustainable food systems, locally and globally, and our role is to show how.
 
You can read about these and many more of our recent outputs and stories in this newsletter. With our partners, we look forward to advancing the role of agroforestry, trees and forests in 2020 Planet's super-year and for farmers on the ground.
 
Vincent Gitz

FTA Director

Special feature

New FTA co-publication with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – Framework methodology for assessing climate change vulnerability of forests and forest-dependent people

imagethumb.jpgChanging weather systems are causing worrying increases in heatwaves, droughts, fire, frosts and storms, threatening the capacity of forests to produce the vital goods and services on which we all depend. Forests and trees have crucial roles to play in reducing the vulnerability of communities everywhere to climate change and helping us to adapt our agriculture, landscapes and cities to changing conditions.
 
Immediate action is needed to increase forest resilience and reduce the threat posed to the livelihoods and well-being of forest-dependent households, including some of the world's most vulnerable people. But it can be difficult to determine the extent to which any given forest and its dependent communities are vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
 
This new methodology is a response to urgent calls for simple, effective approaches to conducting assessments.
 
"Adequate assessments of the vulnerability of forests and forest-dependent people are indispensable for ground-level action to adapt to climate change," said Hiroto Mitsugi, Assistant Director-General at the FAO Forestry Department. "I expect this new tool, which draws together the common elements among the many available methods and provides easy-to-follow guidance, will be of considerable assistance to forest stakeholders worldwide."
 
imagethumb.jpgThe FTA/FAO publication provides practitioners with step-by-step guidance for conducting vulnerability assessments using the most appropriate tools. The guide will be useful for anyone conducting vulnerability assessments involving trees or forests, including forest owners, managers and administrators in the private and public sectors and in community forestry organizations, and land-use planners.
 
The framework methodology provides an approach that can be used in most forest situations, offering flexibility that could help to speed up efforts to improve conditions for forests and people.
 
Download the report here.

News

 

Know the nutritional value of selected tree foods in sub-Saharan Africa

imagethumb.jpgA new database of 132 foods from 99 species in Sub-Saharan Africa shows nutritional values for assessing people’s diets and health. The Priority Food Tree and Crop Food Composition Database, developed by the FTA partner World Agroforestry (ICRAF), contains nutritional information of selected tree foods and crops, with a geographical focus on sub-Saharan Africa.
 
The database comprises 132 foods (out of 99 species) and 30 components. All component values are presented per 100 g edible portion on fresh weight basis. A user guide has also been developed to facilitate the use of the database. Read more.

Agroforestry Systems for Ecological Restoration

 

How to reconcile conservation and production? Options for Brazil’s Cerrado and Caatinga biomes can apply to other landscapes

imagethumb.jpgAn FTA-funded technical guideline aiming to guide the adoption of agroforestry systems (AFS) to restore and recover altered and degraded areas, using strategies that reconcile conservation with social benefits, originally published in Portuguese, was recently translated in English and presented at the COP25 in Madrid, by Andrew Miccolis. The guideline was developed through a participatory research process involving extensionists, farmers, researchers, policy-makers and practitioners in the field of restoration and AFS.

Read more here and here.

Forest restoration and democracy: Making communities visible in Madagascar

 

Landscape restoration will not be fully effective unless it contributes to social as well as ecological benefits

imagethumb.jpgRecent discussions at the Global Landscapes Forum in Accra, Ghana, which revolved around tenure policy and forest landscape restoration in Madagascar, shed light on some of the issues impeding progress toward achieving positive social and ecological restoration outcomes globally. Read more.

Restoring degraded lands for bioenergy can offer economic and social returns as well as environmental benefits

 

Indonesia bets on biomass to power local economies

imagethumb.jpgIndonesia is committed to supplying energy to all of its people, but with 260 million citizens scattered across 17,500 islands, this is no small ambition.
 
Restoring degraded lands with biomass to fuel bioenergy plants could be part of the answer to both environmental and livelihood concerns, noted participants to the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) held in Luxembourg on 30 November 2019. Read about the case studies discussed.

Forest science for the future: Back to the drawing board?

 

Scientists discuss best way forward at IUFRO XXV congress

imagethumb.jpgHow can forest research and science, the foundations of the science of natural resource management, be renewed amid unprecedented global challenges?

At the 25th congress of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO), in Curitiba, Brazil, the CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (FTA) hosted an official side event. It involved six top scientists from our partner organizations, in addition to congress delegates who discussed priorities for future forestry research. Find out what they said.

Report from the Digital Summit – “Barriers to inclusive finance in a context of sustainable landscapes”

imagethumb.jpgThe FTA/CIFOR/Tropenbos International eDialogue “Scaling up innovative finance for sustainable landscapes” concluded on 19/12/2019 with a Digital Summit on “Barriers to inclusive finance in a context of sustainable landscapes” in which three of the outstanding eDialogue participants explained their particular experiences in facing barriers to sustainable landscapes finance.

Through their debate, possibilities for such experiences to be applied in other parts of the tropics or scaled up were analyzed, while a lively online audience posed very relevant questions. Read a report of the discussions or replay the whole event.

Brussels Development Briefing 59: How local application of agroecological principles can transform food systems

 

Leading agricultural scientist calls for transformation of the world’s food systems to align with agroecological principles

imagethumb.jpgFergus Sinclair, FTA Flagship Leader 2 and Head of Systems Science at World Agroforestry (ICRAF) through collaboration with Bangor University, UK, explained at the 59th Brussels Development Briefing, 15 January 2020, how agroecological principles applied on farms can create sustainable food-production systems.
 
Summary of the event or full streaming of the debate also available at this link.

Bamboo, the forgotten solution at COP25

 

Our partner INBAR used the UN’s annual climate conference to raise awareness of natural tools for climate change mitigation

imagethumb.jpgWidespread, versatile and with the ability to store large amounts of carbon, bamboo could be a critical resource in helping a number of developing countries meet their climate change commitments. At the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change’s (UNFCCC) annual Conference of the Parties (COP), hosted by Chile in Madrid, Spain, INBAR promoted this grass plant in a number of key events.

Read more here and here for further reading on bamboo as substitute for plastic.

The politics of participation: Negotiating relationships through community forestry in the Maya Biosphere Reserve, Guatemala

 

Mediating conflict helps community forestry schemes succeed

imagethumb.jpgEmpowering people to manage the forests near their homes is one tool of sustainable development. Widely known as “community forestry,” the notion originated in the 1970s with the dream of fair, equitable, and sustainable forest use.

But achieving those aims isn’t easy. Schemes have to go beyond preserving trees or boosting the local economy, experts say, to alleviate poverty by serving a diverse array of local people, rather than just one gender or class. And the key to ensuring and widening diversity, according to a recent FTA study, may actually be mediating between stakeholders and resolving conflicts to enable many different groups to participate. Featured on PNAS News.


Banner photo by O. Girard/CIFOR. Special feature and news photos, from top, by: Ulet Ifansasti/CIFOR; World Agroforestry; World Agroforestry; Steven Lawry/CIFOR; Pilar Valbuena/GLF; Nanang Sujana/CIFOR; CGIAR Forests, Trees and Agroforestry; World Agroforestry; INBAR; Brester Irina/Shutterstock.

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Recent publications


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Priority Food Tree and Crop Food Composition Database: A User Guide


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Forestry in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). An Asia-Pacific Perspective


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Manual for Sustainable Management of Clumping Bamboo Forest


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Full Brochure 2020: Using Planned Comparisons in East Africa and the Sahel


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Oil Palm Agroforestry Can Achieve Economic and Environmental Gains as Indicated by Multifunctional Land Equivalent Ratios


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Where are the women? A review and conceptual framework for addressing gender equity in charcoal value chains in Sub-Saharan Africa


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Exploring the role of genetic diversity and relatedness in tree seedling growth and mortality: A multi‐species study in a Bornean rain forest


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Human activities link fruit bat presence to Ebola virus disease outbreaks


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TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access


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Phylogenetic relationships in two African Cedreloideae tree genera (Meliaceae) reveal multiple rain/dry forest transitions


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Implementing forest landscape restoration in Latin America: Stakeholder perceptions on legal frameworks


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Genetic diversity and differentiation among the species of African mahogany (Khaya spp.) based on a large SNP array


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Strategies to optimize modeling habitat suitability of Bertholletia excelsa in the Pan-Amazonia


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10 Xu thế lâm nghiệp trên thế giới Việt Nam cần xem xét trong quá trình xây dựng Chiến lược phát triển lâm nghiệp giai đoạn 2020-2030


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Designing for engagement: A Realist Synthesis Review of how context affects the outcomes of multi-stakeholder forums on land use and/or land-use change


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Reconciling oil palm economic development and environmental conservation in Indonesia: A value chain dynamic approach


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Defining ecological restoration of peatlands in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia


Videos


Peatlands, earth's hidden treasure in the fight against climate change


Putting people at the heart of conservation efforts


How can Ghana protect its forests while helping farmers benefit from a booming agricultural sector?

The CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (FTA) is the world’s largest research for development program to enhance the role of forests, trees and agroforestry in sustainable development and food security and to address climate change. CIFOR leads FTA in partnership with Bioversity International, CATIE, CIRAD, ICRAF, INBAR and TBI.

FTA thanks all donors who supported this research through their contributions to the CGIAR Trust Fund.

 
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  • Discussing NDCs and social justice at COP25 - options to counteract climate change (Vol. 3, Issue 8)

Discussing NDCs and social justice at COP25 – options to counteract climate change (Vol. 3, Issue 8)

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Discussing NDCs and social justice at COP25 – options to counteract climate change

Welcome to this years’ last edition of the CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (FTA) newsletter.
 
The end of year is marked by key international events. Just last week, with a very dense, and rich Global Landscape Forum in Luxembourg on Sustainable Finance where FTA hosted 2 sessions, one on Innovative Finance and another on Restoration of Degraded Lands for Bioenergy. How can we turn the world of finance into an engine for greening our planet? There are huge amounts of liquidities and our economy is seeking places where to invest. But “it is not an investment, if it destroys the planet”, said Carole Dieschbourg, Minister for the Environment, Climate and Sustainable Development of Luxembourg, during the opening. Make sure you contribute to our eDialogue until the 15th of December. You may read more about this in this in the special feature of this newsletter.
 
At COP25 in Madrid, FTA and its partners are present in various side events, this year with a strong focus on two issues. First wildfires. Climate change is on the rise and 2019 has seen some of the most dramatic forest fires in recent history. What can we do about this? How can FTA research contribute to help countries and actors? How does it liaise with NDC implementation? Countries and actors discussed these issues today in a very exciting side event organized by Mongolia with the support of FTA/CIFOR. This event follows the ongoing work of the Thematic Working Group on agriculture, food security and land use, facilitated by FAO under the umbrella, of the NDC partnership.
 
Second, climate change is not only an issue of environmental justice, it is also an issue of social justice. On Saturday, 7th December 2019, 12.00-13.30 – at the Chilean Pavillon, FTA will host, together with CAN and Climate Strategies, a side-event on Social and environmental justice as a trigger of robust ambitious climate action and prosperous future for all. As Climate change becomes inevitable, we need to better understand and assess the vulnerabilities of our ecosystems and people, in order to devise adaptation strategies and measures. This concerns all sectors, and very prominently the forests and the people who depend on them.  FTA and FAO have worked since 2 years on a landmark publication to address this issue: a framework methodology for vulnerability assessments to climate change of forests and forest dependent people. So please join FTA, CAN and Climate Strategies to see main actions and measures to achieve social and environmental justice for climate resilience and ambitious action.
 
Vincent Gitz

FTA Director

Special feature

Innovative finance for sustainable landscapes – our discussion at GLF Luxembourg continues!

imagethumb.jpgLast Saturday, 30 November 2019, in the prestigious European Convention Center in Luxembourg, an outstanding and diverse panel discussed innovative mechanisms and initiatives to upscale sustainable finance.
 
Inspired by the words of Carole Dieschbourg, Minister for the Environment, Climate and Sustainable Development of Luxembourg, who in her opening speech immediately made clear the expected outcomes of this very intense day (“It is not an investment, if it destroys the planet!”), the FTA-organized afternoon plenary session saw 7 different backgrounds and perspectives come together seeking common ground for change. Starting from the success story of ACOFOP/FORESCOM who manage total annual turnover of 8-10 million from FSC certified sustainable forest management, a story exemplified through the passionate words of María Teresita Chinchilla Miranda and Elmer Francisco Méndez Hernández (senior advisor and CEO respectively), the moderator Gerhard Mulder from Oxylus Climate Advisors, was able to elicit point of views and suggestions from all the panelists in a lively and deep debate.
 
Pauline Nantongo – Director of Ecotrust in Uganda, Edit Kiss – Director of Development and Portfolio Management of Althelia Funds, Juan Carlos Gonzalez Aybar of the Carbon Neutrality Branch of Total SA, Hans Loth – Global Head UN Environment Partnership of Rabobank, Veronica Galmez of the Forest and Climate Team of the Green Climate Fund all were unanimous in agreeing that innovation requires risk, but it is the only possibility to renovate finance and transition towards a true sustainability.
 
The session was opened by the FTA Director, Vincent Gitz, who indicated 3 mutually re-inforcing pathways necessary for this transition: economic growth in the productive tropical landscape, together with a care for environment and climate issues, integrating social dimension inclusiveness especially for smallholders, women, SMEs and indigenous communities.
 
The discussion also touched upon the draft study currently being analyzed by a community of experts online through an eDialogue also summarized in a White Paper. Given the success of this event, to allow participants and panelists to continue sharing their views, FTA, CIFOR and Tropenbos have agreed to extend one last time the deadline for commenting the paper in the eDialogue until the 15th of December 2019. Don’t miss this opportunity to voice your ideas, experiences and comments, the discussion is open to all, join us!
 
Read a detailed report of the GLF session here.

News

 

Peatlands in South America an asset in climate action efforts

imagethumb.jpgSouth America may be sitting, unaware, on a pile of climate gold, ammunition in efforts to forestall global warming.
 
New maps of tropical and subtropical peatlands suggest these carbon-rich wetlands are more widespread in South America than on any other continent, with significant deposits in the Andean mountains.
 
These recent findings indicate the need for more research to validate their extent and location, and for a closer collaboration between scientists, local communities and authorities to sustainably manage them. Read more.

How to sweeten the deal for cocoa farmers?

imagethumb.jpgCocoa is in high demand. In 2018, the global chocolate industry was worth close to USD 100 billion, and it is projected to grow. Consumers are increasingly asking for sustainably sourced products, and new kinds of investors are looking for positive environmental and social impacts, in addition to financial returns.

But, many cocoa farmers are poor, even now when the market price for cocoa is relatively high. During the past two years, when prices were lower, farmers had an even harder time making a living.

Some reflections on the situation here.

Mobilizing change for women within collective tenure regimes

imagethumb.jpgLocal communities manage a significant portion of the world's remaining forests, pastures, and fisheries as common property resources, but they are rarely recognized as formal owners. Important progress has occurred during the last twenty years, as growing evidence suggests that devolving rights to communities can provide incentives for new forms of investment that facilitate sustainable outcomes as well as greater equity in the distribution of benefits. While much has been learned over recent decades from progress in tenure rights recognition worldwide, less is known about the reform processes that can lead to better outcomes for women and other marginalized groups. A new paper from CIFOR analyzed data collected using quantitative and qualitative methods to analyze different reform processes in Uganda, Peru, and Indonesia. These reforms included several changes in laws, legal provisions, policies, and institutions that redefined the rights and responsibilities over who uses, manages, and controls forest resources and how. Read more.

Potential of Bamboo for Sustainable Renewable Energy Production in West Africa

imagethumb.jpgAcross many rural and peri-urban areas in West Africa, a large proportion of households rely on charcoal or fuel wood as the main source of energy, especially for cooking. Over the years, the extraction of wood for charcoal production has been identified as a significant driver of forest degradation and deforestation within the region. With increasing population growth, the demand for charcoal or fuel wood is expected to increase with serious consequences for the region’s fast depleting forest resources, which provide critical ecosystem services. Bamboo offers a sustainable and valid alternative to mitigate this vicious circle.
 
Read about a recent workshop organized by our partner INBAR, held in Ghana.

ICRAF and FTA host first technical discussion on the development of a gender-responsive post-2020 global biodiversity framework

imagethumb.jpgThe unprecedented and accelerating loss of biodiversity is one of the greatest crises of our time. Biodiversity is the invisible infrastructure that supports the healthy functioning of our food systems, economies and communities—and it's deteriorating at an alarming rate: 1 million animal and plant species are now threatened with extinction.

An Open-Ended Intersessional Working Group is charged with the development of a new framework and strategic plan that will replace the existing Strategic Plan for Biodiversity when it lapses in 2020. The first meeting of the Working Group was held at the UN Environment headquarters in Nairobi on 27-30 August 2019.

Read more about this work here.

Why tree diversity in agroforestry matters: perspectives from the Comoros archipelago

imagethumb.jpgThe island of Anjouan in the Comoros has experienced one of the highest deforestation rates in the world. In the last two decades, 80% of its natural forests have disappeared. This was mainly due to agricultural pressure and excessive timber extraction, which triggered a negative spiral of natural resource degradation and poverty that put present and future livelihoods at risk.

Agroforestry is widely recommended as a pathway to restoring degraded landscapes through sustainable agriculture. However, different environmental and social benefits come from different tree species and management practices in different landscape niches. Full story here.

Rethinking poverty eradication and food security through agriculture in Africa

imagethumb.jpgAgriculture in Africa is expected to meet the dual objectives of providing food and helping people to escape poverty but, in practice, this is rarely possible on the small farms that cover the vast majority of the continent’s agricultural landscapes. It’s time for policymakers, agricultural researchers and practitioners to recognize the need to separate food security and poverty eradication, a new research argues. Read more.

‘Fruit-tree portfolios’ for nutrition and health: a new approach

imagethumb.jpgIn much of the world, the achievement of dietary recommendations is falling short and will continue to do so unless strategic interventions are made to transform agricultural production to include a greater diversity of readily available, nutritious foods.

The need to focus much more on food quality through ‘nutrition-sensitive’ agriculture has increasingly been recognised in global policy frameworks and commitments. Within this new agenda, increasing tree cultivation has an important role to play because around 74% of fruits produced globally are harvested from trees, which also produce nutritious leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds and edible oils.

To better incorporate fruits into local food systems and meet the challenge of seasonal availability, FTA scientists developed a methodology based on ‘fruit-tree portfolios’, which selects in partnership with farmers the fruit-tree species for production that are suitable socio-ecologically and important nutritionally. Read more.

Understanding bamboo’s ecosystem services

imagethumb.jpgBamboo forests have been intimately associated with human wellbeing for thousands of years. With a global spread of more than 30 million hectares, this fast-growing plant provides a number of critical goods and services for rural populations. As well as supplying food, forage, timber, construction and bioenergy in rural farming systems, and acting as a crucial part of subsistence livelihoods, bamboo forests also furnish a wide range of environmental services: as a source of carbon storage, a means to stabilise slopes and prevent soil erosion, and a crucial part of biological diversity.

New research, published in November 2019 by the International Bamboo and Rattan Organisation (INBAR) and CIFOR, provides a much-needed framework for assessing bamboo’s ecosystem services. Access it here.


Banner photo by O. Girard/CIFOR. Special feature and news photos, from top, by: P. Valbuena/GLF; K. Hergoualc'h/CIFOR; O. Girard/CIFOR; T. Saputro/CIFOR; O. Girard/CIFOR; E. S. Dumont/World Agroforestry; M. Balinga/CIFOR; World Agroforestry; N. Hogarth/CIFOR.

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Recent publications


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Sustainable Development Goals: Their Impacts on Forests and People


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Designing for engagement: A Realist Synthesis Review of how context affects the outcomes of multi-stakeholder forums on land use and/or land-use change


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Drivers of forest loss in Papua and West Papua


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Testing the Various Pathways Linking Forest Cover to Dietary Diversity in Tropical Landscapes


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Framework for assessing ecosystem services from bamboo forests: Lessons from Asia and Africa


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The politics of participation: Negotiating relationships through community forestry in the Maya Biosphere Reserve, Guatemala


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Designing for engagement: A Realist Synthesis Review of how context affects the outcomes of multi-stakeholder forums on land use and/or land-use change


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The colour of maize: Visions of green growth and farmers perceptions in northern Laos


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Development and equity: A gendered inquiry in a swidden landscape


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Mobilizing Change for Women Within Collective Tenure Regimes


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Assessing the ecological vulnerability of forest landscape to agricultural frontier expansion in the Central Highlands of Vietnam


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Poverty eradication and food security through agriculture in Africa: Rethinking objectives and entry points


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Bridging funding gaps for climate and sustainable development: Pitfalls, progress and potential of private finance


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A Planetary Health Perspective on Agroforestry in Sub-Saharan Africa


Videos


Restoring Forests, Restoring Communities


Innovating Finance to Overcome Current Barriers Towards Sustainable Landscapes – GLF Luxembourg 2019

 


FTA at COP 25


Social and environmental justice as a trigger of robust ambitious climate action and prosperous future for all
December 7, 2019
Madrid, Spain

The CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (FTA) is the world’s largest research for development program to enhance the role of forests, trees and agroforestry in sustainable development and food security and to address climate change. CIFOR leads FTA in partnership with Bioversity International, CATIE, CIRAD, ICRAF, INBAR and TBI.

FTA thanks all donors who supported this research through their contributions to the CGIAR Trust Fund.

 
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  • 12th Meeting of Independent Steering Committee

12th Meeting of Independent Steering Committee

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  • Rural women building resilience (Vol. 3, Issue 7)

Rural women building resilience (Vol. 3, Issue 7)

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Closely followed by World Food Day (16 October) and International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (17 October), the International Day of Rural Women (15 of October) (IDRW) is a key moment to reflect on the importance of gender equality and inclusion across all agricultural and natural resource management sectors.
 
This year’s theme for IDRW is Rural Women and Girls Building Climate Resilience. The CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (FTA) maintains as a priority cross-cutting theme the advancement of gender equality and social inclusion. First and foremost, these are universal human rights. Moreover, our research shows that equitably addressing the needs and releasing the potential of both women and men is fundamental if we are to find measures to adapt to and mitigate current climatic challenges.
 
Gender research in FTA is at the forefront of efforts to enhance the recognition, voice and influence of rural women, as well as their access to and control over resources, and to ensure that they receive significant and equal benefits to men from forests, trees and agroforestry systems. For this reason, we recently released the Gender Equality in Research Scale (GEIRS) tool, designed to monitor the level of gender integration across FTA’s project portfolio. The tool can guide the design, implementation, and monitoring of projects from a gender perspective to ensure that projects are gender-responsive, at a minimum, and can enhance gender equality, at best.
 
We are deeply saddened to share news of the recent loss of Dr Esther Mwangi, environmentalist, public policy expert, scholar and mentor whose research explored gender and inequities in relation to land rights and natural resources. Esther was a fierce advocate of rural women’s rights. She was also the first Gender Research Coordinator and a key driver of FTA’s gender research in the first phase of FTA Research Program, and she crafted FTA’s first Gender Strategy. She will be deeply missed. FTA will continue to build on the foundations of Esther’s work on gender with dedication and commitment, honouring her name.
 
Vincent Gitz, FTA Director, and Marlène Elias, FTA Gender Research Coordinator

Special feature

Esther Mwangi, researcher on gender and forest property rights, dies at 53

imagethumb.jpgEsther Mwangi, principal scientist in CIFOR and globally renowned researcher of gender and land tenure rights, died on Oct. 5 in Nairobi at age 53 due to complications from cancer. At the time of her death, she was team leader for the Nairobi Hub and principal scientist with Forests and Governance, roles she had held since 2014. During her 10 years at CIFOR, Esther laid the foundations for CIFOR and FTA’s research on gender, which she led from FTA Phase 1 in 2010, and for which the FTA CGIAR Research Program was singularly praised by the Independent Science and Partnership Council,” said Andrew Wardell, who is now principal scientist with the CIFOR Value Chains, Finance and Investment team and continues his involvement with the FTA research program. At CIFOR, Esther established gender integration throughout all research divisions and teams. Early in her career, she had attracted international attention for a 2006 study of the division of common lands held by the Maasai people in Kenya, a process which she said exposed how less powerful, more vulnerable groups were subjected to inequitable treatment. The research revealed how property rights and traditional livelihoods can come into conflict, creating disparity and often producing a negative impact on ecosystems.
 
“She profoundly touched many individuals, but it’s also a story about how she shaped and empowered an entire organization to take gender seriously,” said Bimbika Sijapati Basnett, who worked as a post-doctoral student on the program with Esther.
 
Esther singlehandedly designed and wrote an organizational gender integration strategy for CIFOR, in such a way as to bring everybody together – she sought support from all of the teams, encouraging them to identify areas where they could contribute gender integration, said Sijapati Basnett, who took over the position after Esther moved to the CIFOR Forests and Governance role.
 
“Now, when I look back at where CIFOR stands, there’s a lot of work that’s underway – there’s a reputation that she built – both within the larger CGIAR community but also in the larger forestry and development space – and she will be missed a lot by everybody, but I think she’s equipped everyone to keep her legacy forward,” she said.
 
Learn more about Esther, and connect to her memorial website to leave condolences here.
 
In memory of Esther Mwangi and in recognition of the role rural women play in strengthening forest management and sustainable livelihoods, CIFOR has developed a video to celebrate this years' International Day of Rural Women. Share and be inspired.

News

 

Reversing ‘dangerous decline’ of nature requires global initiatives to engage both men and women

imagethumb.jpgOur planet is in the midst of an ecological emergency, according to several recent reports. Deteriorating biodiversity is putting food security, economies as well as human health and well-being at risk. Reversing this ecological decline requires restoration initiatives to incorporate the needs, interests and knowledge of both men and women.
 
FTA has long-standing experience with research on incorporating gender dimensions into forest landscape restoration. The program’s research has shown that reaching desired social and environmental outcomes from ecosystem restoration hinges on the contribution and cooperation of the women and men who depend on these ecosystems for their livelihoods. After more than 15 years of implementation, the REDD+ initiative in particular can provide important clues, according to scientists.
 
Although REDD+ is primarily a mechanism for reducing carbon emissions from forests, it does offer lessons on what implications such a long-term, on-the-ground effort has for gender equality and women’s empowerment. Read the full story here.

Can the resuscitation of a fading way of life help close the gender income gap?

imagethumb.jpgTargeting rural villages in Honghe County, Yunnan Province, an ICRAF-led project, assessed efforts to alleviate poverty and their gender-differentiated impacts, promoted the holistic development of the surrounding mountainous region and demonstrated the potential of cultivating woad (Isatis tinctoria) for supplementing rural incomes and strengthening rural industries. Read the full story here.

Moving forward on gender equality in forestry

imagethumb.jpgIn the lead-up to the 25th IUFRO World Congress being held in Curitiba, Brazil from 29 Sept. to 6 Oct., a group of scientists from around the world conducted an assessment of the potential impact that addressing the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) would have on people and forests.
 
As part of the assessment, CIFOR researchers Anne Larson (CIFOR) and Carol J. Pierce Colfer (CIFOR/Cornell University) contributed to a chapter on the upcoming publication about the impact of SDGs to forests and people, led by Seema Arora-Jonsson (Swedish University of Life Sciences). The chapter specifically focuses on the relationship between forestry and SDG5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.
 
Read the interview with Carol, who reflects on some of the key insights and messages coming out of the assessment.

Gender equality in agricultural development starts with understanding complexity

imagethumb.jpgWhen Professor Katherine Gibson opened the Seeds of Change conference in Canberra in April, she asked the more than 200 participants to consider whether we are sowing the right seeds of change for achieving gender equality in agricultural development.
 
“Can the world’s rural areas be places where we can generate dignified agricultural livelihoods, where there is material well-being, where there is gender equity and sustainable environmental interactions?” she inquired.
 
Her questions were prompted by a series of graphs, known as ‘the great acceleration’, that show the world’s economic overdevelopment and its detrimental impacts on the environment. However, Gibson was quick to point out that the great acceleration has also brought about benefits, with some of the most prominent being increased education for women and slowed population growth. “We really need to see the complexity here,” Gibson explained in a subsequent interview, referencing these contradictory results of recent development. Development and its gendered impacts are complex matters – a realization that permeated discussions during the three-day conference. Read the full story here.

Why gender matters in forest restoration

imagethumb.jpgWhile international and national campaigns to restore degraded landscapes are gaining steam, a serious shortcoming persists at the heart of the restoration agenda: the lack of attention to the socio-political dimensions of ecological interventions and interpretations of sustainability that focus narrowly on the biophysical. When this happens, rather than generating new opportunities for local people, restoration initiatives can accentuate inequalities or create exclusions for the people who most depend on the lands being restored.
 
A session on ‘Restoration for whom, by whom?’ was co-organized to confront this issue at the latest 8th World Congress on Ecological Restoration. The session, co-organized by the CGIAR Research Programs on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (FTA), Policies, Institutions, and Markets (PIM), and Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE), discussed overlooked social and political issues in land and landscape restoration, to draw attention to the need to enhance equity and social inclusion in and through restoration.
 
The session laid the foundation for a special issue on the topic, to be developed during 2020 integrating gender considerations into the work on landscape restoration undertaken by the three co-convening CGIAR research programs (FTA, PIM and WLE).
 
Read about the event here.

Laying the groundwork for a gender-responsive post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework

imagethumb.jpgIn April this year, the Convention on Biological Diversity and UN Women co-organized an expert workshop to strengthen gender elements in the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, in relation to the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. A global team of experts discussed why safeguarding biodiversity cannot be truly effective without proper attention to gender equity, and what measures are needed to enhance the gender-responsiveness of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.
 
Iliana Monterroso, co-coordinator of CIFOR’s Gender and Social Inclusion Research, delivered a presentation on behalf of FTA, analysing the current status and challenges regarding forestry and gender. Drawing on lessons from on-the-ground REDD+ implementation, she stressed the importance of gender-responsive forest landscape restoration work.
 
This engagement has resulted in joint submissions with other participating organizations to inform the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, including a submission during the Regional Consultation meeting of GRULAC in Montevideo (14-17 May).
 
A report of the discussion is now available here.


Banner photo by O. Girard/CIFOR. Special feature and news photos, from top, by: CIFOR; M. Edliadi/CIFOR; Yunnan Nationalities Museum/Xiang Gao; Axel Fassio/CIFOR; O. Girard/CIFOR; Bioversity International/E.Hermanowicz; Icaro Cooke Vieira/CIFOR.

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Recent publications


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At the intersection of gender and generation: Engaging with 'youth' in the CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry


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The Gender Equality in Research Scale: A tool for monitoring and encouraging progress on gender integration in research for and in development


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The Gender Equality in Research Scale (GEIRS)


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Gender Perspectives on Cocoa Production in Ecuador and Peru: Insights for Inclusive and Sustainable Intensification


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Perspectivas de género sobre la producción de cacao en Ecuador y Perú: Ideas para una intensificación inclusiva y sostenible


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Socio-economic differentiation and shea globalization in western Burkina Faso: integrating gender politics and agrarian change


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Approaching rural young people


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Connecting the dots in the forest-migration nexus: A case study from Malinau, Indonesia


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Women's time use and implications for participation in cacao value chains: evidence from VRAEM, Peru

 


Videos


Gender, land shortage and lack of tree access across an international border


Rukaya’s Bamboo Story: Developing Skills in Bamboo Product Development, Ghana


Digital Summit: Beyond Land – Gender equality in restoration

 


Events


CFS 46 – Side Event 13 – Agroforestry, an agro-ecological pathway for SDG2
October 17, 2019
FAO, Rome, Italy

SE136 Gender Equality & Malnutrition Transformation: approaches to addressing causes & improved nutrition: Three new perspectives: relationship between gender equality and food; gender-transformative approaches to nutrition; and scaling up
October 18, 2019
FAO, Rome, Italy

GLF Accra
FTA & the GLF Gender Constituency with AsaseFest will host an interactive session on gender and landscape restoration
October 30, 2019
Accra, Ghana

COP25
CIFOR, ICRAF & RECOFTC side-event: “What is the role of finance and technology in catalyzing sustainable and gender-equitable change?
December 9, 2019
Santiago, Chile

The CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (FTA) is the world’s largest research for development program to enhance the role of forests, trees and agroforestry in sustainable development and food security and to address climate change. CIFOR leads FTA in partnership with Bioversity International, CATIE, CIRAD, ICRAF, INBAR and TBI.

FTA thanks all donors who supported this research through their contributions to the CGIAR Trust Fund.

 
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  • Uniting efforts to counter global threats to forests (Vol. 3, Issue 6)

Uniting efforts to counter global threats to forests (Vol. 3, Issue 6)

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FTA communications

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Welcome to another edition of the CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Tees and Agroforestry (FTA) newsletter.
 
The highlight of this month was the XXV IUFRO World Congress 2019, which showcased the richness of forest science and research, and its relevance to the sustainable development agenda. FTA was very present (around 50 scientists and related presentations). One key dimension of the congress was that forest science needs to be bold and invest the policy arena. This is not necessarily new to us, but the movement is gaining momentum and this comes at a critical moment when evidence-based policies and action are more needed than ever. To give forest science a stronger voice, you may join us in signing the congress’ final declaration. You may sign the pledge here.
 
Such congresses that happen only once every 5 years provide a valuable opportunity to collectively take stock of forest science progress, and reflect on new research frontiers: what research should we be doing more? FTA organized a side event on Research on forests, trees and agroforestry: What’s next? Which priorities for the future? with a lively and fruitful exchange between key scientists from CIFOR, ICRAF, CIRAD, CATIE and INBAR, and the audience. What came out strongly is the need to go from characterization to implementation and workable solutions for people. Our research should be people-centered. We won’t be able to work for forests unless we can work with people, for the people.
 
Back in 2018, anticipating this emerging issue, FTA opened a new line of research on the issue of agroecology. Now the fruits are ripe, with two key results:
 
First major result: FTA flagship program leader and ICRAF principal scientist Fergus Sinclair led the write-up of the highly expected HLPE report on Agroecological and other innovative approaches for sustainable agriculture and food systems that enhance food security and nutrition. The recommendations of the report are going to be discussed by world governments, civil society and the private sector next week during the 46th plenary session of the UN Committee on World Food Security. Agroecology may seem for some a theoretical concept, difficult to grasp. At CFS, FTA will host a discussion with Vi Agroforestry and SIANI to discuss how Agroforestry can be a concrete agro-ecological pathway for SDG2.
 
Second major result: FTA led a chapter and background paper for the Global Commission on Adaptation. The work of the commission was a major influence of the climate summit organized in New York where a range of commitments were made towards increased support of agricultural research for development given the challenges posed by climate change.
 
Finally, our Inclusive Landscape Finance Project is continuing its path and, after the GLF Digital Summit organized in July, we are now organizing an open consultation on the outcomes of this project. The set of open questions will be available for comments between 4-15th November on the GLF website. The inputs will be analyzed, and incorporated allowing us to have a pre-final version of the report to be discussed and finalized during a GLF Event in Luxembourg on the 30th November 2019. An important contribution to the dialogue on up-scaling of innovative finance for sustainable landscapes.
 
Please make sure to bring your views!
 
Vincent Gitz

FTA Director

Special feature

Inclusive finance: Paying the way for sustainable landscapes

imagethumb.jpg Local landscape initiatives make business sense: companies stand to gain an edge in innovation through supporting local communities and smallholders by utilizing the tacit knowledge of front-line employees. But how can we create environments that better connect financial instruments and ground level landscape initiatives?
 
On July 9th at 14:00 CET (Paris, Rome), FTA brought together diverse perspectives on what inclusive finance means and how it may be mobilized. This Digital Summit featured speakers like Pauline Nantongo of Ecotrust in Uganda, Juan Carlos Gonzalez Aybar of Althelia Funds and impact investment manager from Mirova. Speakers shared their experiences and thoughts on the way forward for the upscaling of innovative finance mechanisms that support sustainable landscapes and have special consideration for the smallholders within that landscape. The discussion brought together 111 on-line participants who interacted in real time posing around 60 comments/questions to the speakers. A video recording of their discussion can be found here.
 
This Digital Summit emerges from the context of a workstream on inclusive finance initiated within the framework of the FTA, Tropenbos International and CIFOR. This workstream included eight interviews with key stakeholders of the finance value chain and a summary of existing documentation on the topic.
 
Read the latest two here:

This learning journey is now entering a consultative and interactive phase, with a set of open questions available on the GLF website between 4-15th November on the GLF website. The consultation will be oriented towards researchers, practitioners and policy makers that relate to the field of sustainable and resilient land use in the tropics. The inputs will be analyzed and incorporated into a pre-final document, to be refined and concluded during the upcoming GLF Event in Luxembourg on the 30th November 2019

News

 

New Background Paper from the Global Commission on Adaptation led by FTA Flagship Leader 2

imagethumb.jpgIt is generally accepted that agriculture is a major driver of climate change as well as being acutely challenged to adapt to its effects. Agroecological approaches involve the application of integrated ecological, economic and social principles to the transition of smallholder farming systems, towards greater resilience. This involves adapting 13 generic agroecological principles to local circumstances. The principles include: diversification, recycling, and better connecting producers and consumers. Adaptation is done by scientists working closely with farmers and other stakeholders to co-create concrete, demand-led solutions to pressing problems as they are experienced locally rather than through imposing externally prefabricated solutions that may not be locally appropriate.
 
A new GCA background paper led by principal scientist Fergus L. Sinclair from ICRAF makes the point on how agroecological approaches can pave the way towards climate smart agriculture.
 
All GCA background papers can be accessed here.

Scientists on Indonesia’s polluting haze

imagethumb.jpgWhile the eyes of the world have been fixed in horror on the Amazonian forest fires, the rainforests of Indonesia on the other side of the planet are now also in flames.

In the first eight months of 2019, over 300,000 hectares of land burned and the past week has seen a surge in fire alerts across the entire Indonesian archipelago. According to Global Forest Watch, the 8,903 fire alerts is more than twice the average number for this time of year.

Time to rethink the role of trees, forests and agroforestry in the fight against climate change

imagethumb.jpgThe role of forests and trees in mitigating climate change and capturing and storing carbon in biomass and soil is well recognized. Over the past few decades, a variety of schemes, including REDD, REDD+, 4per1000 and AFR100 have been designed to leverage this mitigation potential.

New manual promotes use of bamboo for climate change

imagethumb.jpg A new manual aims to help countries calculate the climate mitigation potential of their native bamboo stocks.
 
Fast growing, with a high rate of carbon storage and a spread of 30 million hectares across the tropics and subtropics, bamboo could be an important part of countries’ nature-based toolkit for climate change mitigation. However, while there are many international guidelines for forest carbon assessment, very little information exists on measuring the carbon sequestration potential of bamboo. This is a critical knowledge gap, and affects the development of bamboo forests as a carbon sink.
 
Released in May, the first draft of the Manual for Bamboo Forest Biomass and Carbon Assessment was developed by the FTA partner International Bamboo and Rattan Organisation (INBAR). It provides instructions for technical staff to conduct bamboo forest inventories and bamboo stock, biomass and carbon assessments, introducing various methods for data collection.
 
The manual is currently being reviewed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and a first draft can be downloaded here.


Banner photo by O. Girard/CIFOR. Special feature and news photos, from top, by: T. Saputro/CIFOR; A.Erlangga/CIFOR; R.Martin/CIFOR

Contact us


foreststreesagroforestry.org
     


FTA briefs


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The Gender Equality in Research Scale: A tool for monitoring and encouraging progress on gender integration in research for and in development

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The Gender Equality in Research Scale (GEIRS)


 

 

Recent publications


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The Contribution of Agroecological Approaches to Realizing Climate-resilient Agriculture


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Engaging multiple stakeholders to reconcile climate, conservation and development objectives in tropical landscapes


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Una clasificación de proyectos de restauración del paisaje forestal en América Latina y el Caribe


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The future of Blue Carbon science


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The Alto Mayo Protected Forest's Management Committee: San Martín, Perú


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El Comité de Gestión de la Reserva Comunal Amarakaeri: Madre de Dios, Peru


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El Comité de Gestión del Bosque de Protección Alto Mayo: San Martín, Perú


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The Amarakaeri Communal Reserve's Management Committee: Madre de Dios, Peru


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Chi trả dịch vụ môi trường cho dịch vụ các-bon tại Việt Nam: Góc nhìn từ kinh nghiệm quốc tế và những vấn đề cần xem xét


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In search of sustainable and inclusive palm oil production: The role of smallholders in Indonesia


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CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (FTA): Annual Report 2018


Videos


What’s the Science Week?


Webinar: If forests and peatlands disappeared, would humanity survive?


Webinar: If forests and peatlands disappeared, would humanity survive?

 


Events


The 5th Global Science Conference on Climate-Smart Agriculture 2019
October 8, 2019 – October 10, 2019
Bali, Indonesia

Committee on World Food Security (CFS 46)
October 14, 2019 – October 18, 2019
FAO, Rome, Italy

Global Landscapes Forum Luxembourg
November 30, 2019
Luxembourg


 

The CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (FTA) is the world’s largest research for development program to enhance the role of forests, trees and agroforestry in sustainable development and food security and to address climate change. CIFOR leads FTA in partnership with Bioversity International, CATIE, CIRAD, ICRAF, INBAR and TBI.

FTA thanks all donors who supported this research through their contributions to the CGIAR Trust Fund.

 
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  • Time to rethink the role of trees, forests and agroforestry in the fight against climate change (Vol. 3, Issue 5)

Time to rethink the role of trees, forests and agroforestry in the fight against climate change (Vol. 3, Issue 5)

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FTA communications

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Welcome to the August edition of the CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Tees and Agroforestry (FTA) newsletter.
 
In our special feature for this newsletter, looking at the role of forests and trees in climate change, we call for a shift of focus from trees and mitigation to trees and adaptation. There is a need to explore what forests, trees and agroforestry can bring to the adaptation of other sectors, particularly agriculture. This coincides with a need to change perspectives, from a dominant global perspective centered on carbon, to a local perspective centered on what works for farmers in a particular place.
 
In June, FTA participated in the Asia-Pacific Forestry Week (APFW) in Songdo, the Republic of Korea, where the Forestry and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) launched the report “Forest Futures: The outlook for forests, landscapes and people in the Asia-Pacific region” – a publication to which FTA significantly contributed.
 
FTA also launched its new website at the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) in Bonn in June. The session, “Data and digital resources for decision making on forests, trees and agroforestry” was lively and well attended, and FTA’s resources and data portal garnered much interest from the participants.
 
FTA also organized a digital summit on inclusive finance, drawing on the eight interviews that have been published on the theme. During the summit, “Inclusive finance: Paying the way for sustainable landscapes”, Pauline Nantongo of Ecotrust in Uganda, Juan Carlos Gonzalez Aybar of Althelia Funds and Marco Boscolo, forestry officer in the policy, governance and economics group of FAO discussed their experiences and thoughts on the way forward for the upscaling of innovative finance mechanisms that support sustainable landscapes and consider the smallholders within these landscapes.
 
You can watch the summit online here, and read a summary of our inclusive finance interviews here.
 
Read on for more about the latest FTA publications, resources and events.
 
Vincent Gitz

FTA Director

Special feature

Time to rethink the role of trees, forests and agroforestry in the fight against climate change

imagethumb.jpg The role of forests and trees in mitigating climate change and capturing and storing carbon in biomass and soil is well recognized. Over the past few decades, a variety of schemes, including REDDREDD+,  4per1000 and AFR100 have been designed to leverage this mitigation potential.
 
However, much less attention has been given to the role of forests and trees in helping farmers and farm systems adapt to climate change. Today, with climate change impacts already having immediate, dramatic impacts on smallholder farmers, it is time to have a more balanced approach.
 
That’s why we are calling for a shift of focus from trees and mitigation to trees and adaptation. There is a need to explore what forests, trees and agroforestry can bring to the adaptation of other sectors, particularly agriculture.

News

Linking smallholders to existing wood value chains for sustainable supply

imagethumb.jpg Continuing a series of interviews on inclusive landscape finance, Tevis Howard, founding director of Komaza, shares his insights with Bas Louman of Tropenbos International.
 
Komaza, founded in 2006, is a vertically integrated forestry company that is involved in forest production from tree nurseries, tree cultivation, harvesting and processing, to selling to domestic and international customers. The company is based in Kifili, Kenya.
 
Different from other forestry companies in Africa, which produce timber in large plantations, its production is based on thousands of small woodlots in partnership with as many smallholder farmers. This fits into the production model in Kenya well, where more than 50 percent of the wood supply comes from such farmers.
 
Tevis Howard gives us some insights into the challenges and opportunities he faced in seeking finance during the 13 years since the foundation of the company.

Moving towards a more integrated view on finance and impact

imagethumb.jpg In the penultimate interview of our initial inclusive finance series, we hear from Marthe Tollenaar and MaryKate Bullen of New Forests, an Australia-based fund management company with more than A$5 billion invested in sustainable leading-edge forestry, land management, and conservation projects in the Asia-Pacific region and the United States.
 
In this invterview they discuss what is meant by ‘inclusiveness’ and why it should be addressed by financial institutions.
 
“At New Forests, we consider inclusiveness to mean the generation of value for all stakeholders in our business, including investors and communities, and the environment. We believe that an inclusive approach ensures steadier and more long-term profitability, and creates opportunities through shared value business strategies.”

A five-part road map for how to succeed with agroforestry

imagethumb.jpg Agroforestry will only make its way to the top of global development agendas – fulfilling its rightful role as a solution to climate change, biodiversity loss, malnutrition and poverty – if we are able to deliver a clear message
 
 This article takes a close look at five lessons on how to succeed with agroforestry, based on work presented by scientists contributing to FTA at the 4th World Congress on Agroforestry.
 
Agroforestry may not be a one-size-fits-all solution, but it is an adaptable, applicable practice that fits the complexity of today’s development challenges. And with these top five lessons in hand, farmers, development practitioners, donors and private sector actors may be better placed to achieve its potential.


Banner photo by O. Girard/CIFOR. Special feature and news photos, from top, by: R. Martin/CIFOR; P. Sheperd/CIFOR; T. Saputro/CIFOR; T. Saputro/CIFOR

Contact us


foreststreesagroforestry.org
     


FTA briefs


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At the intersection of gender and generation: Engaging with 'youth' in the CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry
 

Recent publications


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Linking equity, power, and stakeholders’ roles in relation to ecosystem services


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Global data and tools for local forest cover loss and REDD+ performance assessment: Accuracy, uncertainty, complementarity and impact


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Connecting the dots in the forest-migration nexus: A case study from Malinau, Indonesia


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Brazil nut forest concessions in the Peruvian Amazon: success or failure?


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Summary and discussion: Inclusive finance interviews


Videos


Pastoralism and agriculture: keeping the peace in a national park buffer zone

 


Events


International Horticultural Exhibition
April 29 – October 7, 2019
Yanqing District, Beijing, China

ASEAN Bamboo Congress
August 12, 2019
Iloilo City, the Philippines

XXV IUFRO World Congress
September 29, 2019 – October 5, 2019
Curitiba, Brazil










 

The CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (FTA) is the world’s largest research for development program to enhance the role of forests, trees and agroforestry in sustainable development and food security and to address climate change. CIFOR leads FTA in partnership with Bioversity International, CATIE, CIRAD, ICRAF, INBAR and TBI.

FTA thanks all donors who supported this research through their contributions to the CGIAR Trust Fund.

 
Led by: In partnership with:
                
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  • Agroforestry headed for center stage in global sustainability efforts (Vol. 3, Issue 4)

Agroforestry headed for center stage in global sustainability efforts (Vol. 3, Issue 4)

Prosper Sawadogo, a 63 year-old farmer looking for fruit, Birou village, Burkina Faso. Photo by Ollivier Girard/CIFOR cifor.org blog.cifor.org If you use one of our photos, please credit it accordingly and let us know. You can reach us through our Flickr account or at: cifor-mediainfo@cgiar.org and m.edliadi@cgiar.org
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FTA communications

Welcome to another edition of the CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Tees and Agroforestry (FTA) newsletter. FTA participated last month in the World Agroforestry Congress, where over 1,200 experts met to present their research results, and discuss the potential of agroforestry for sustainable development. In this edition of our newletter, our special news feature highlights some of the discussions held at the congress.
 
Our “Inclusive finance for sustainable landscapes” series led by Tropenbos International (TBI) and the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) continues, with three more interviews that discuss how financial products should be adjusted to better meet the needs of community forest enterprises, the importance of scaling up sustainable forestry projects to attract finance, and the benefits of forest-finance partnerships.
 
FTA has also started a new publication series, with the publication of two FTA briefs. The first brief discusses a monitoring and learning tool – the Gender Equality in Research Scale (GEIRS), which is designed to assess the level of gender integration across a CGIAR Research Program’s research portfolio and at different stages of the research and development cycle. The second brief presents the self-assessment questionnaire based on a set of minimum standards for gender integration used as part of the GEIRS tool.
 
You can also now access our new website, where all of our publications and resources are fully searchable. There is a dedicated section for datasets and maps – our new data portal – where you can find a wealth of data generated through FTA research collaboratively and by our partners.
 
This month we are participating in the Asia-Pacific Forestry Week in Songdo, Incheon, the Republic of Korea, and hosting a launch event, “