Global Landscapes Forum Africa: Restoring Africa’s drylands needs a localized, integrated approach, say experts at the conference

At the recent GLF Africa: Restoring Africa’s Drylands Conference, thousands of restoration practitioners, scientists, activists, policymakers and others discussed ideas to provide evidence and guidance for restoring the drylands as a precursor to the launch of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021 to 2030).

Africa’s drylands, which form almost 50% of the continent, are home to over 525 million people, most of whom are smallholder farmers relying on rainfed agriculture and livestock rearing for their livelihoods. Climate change is worsening the land degradation in this region and it is imperative to find ways to halt and reverse the degradation through sustainable, integrated approaches. At the conference, experts from ICRISAT presented insights from their work and shared their thoughts during panel discussions.