A crucial five-day workshop, centered on “Building Resilient Landscapes: Sustainable Land Management and Restoration for Africa’s Agricultural Future,” has been launched by the Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice) and the G20 Global Land Initiative. This collaborative effort, drawing in leading global partners, is taking place at AfricaRice’s Regional Training Center in Saint Louis, Senegal.
The workshop has convened 30 experts, practitioners, policymakers, and community leaders from across Africa and beyond to confront the urgent issue of land degradation and its profound impact on food security across the continent.
The need for sustainable solutions is particularly acute in Sub-Saharan Africa, a region home to over 80 percent of smallholder farmers and grappling with severe land erosion, nutrient depletion, and increasing climate stress. With projections indicating that the region will host 35 percent of the world’s population by 2100, the stakes for addressing land degradation are exceptionally high. Alarmingly, over 70 percent of SSA’s lands are already degraded, and the World Bank estimates that by 2050, as many as 86 million people may be compelled to migrate due to land and climate pressures.
This high-level workshop is strategically designed to equip participants with the essential knowledge, tools, and skills to develop and implement effective sustainable landscape management and restoration practices. Over the five days, attendees will delve into cutting-edge approaches, including climate-smart agriculture, gender-responsive policy frameworks, and the application of digital innovations for land restoration. The training program blends classroom sessions at AfricaRice Saint Louis with immersive field visits within the Senegal River Valley. This integrated approach will allow participants to directly observe successful local restoration initiatives and engage with farmers who are at the forefront of adopting sustainable agricultural practices.
Dr. Elliott Dossou-Yovo, the Workshop Lead at AfricaRice, emphasized the significance of the event, stating, “This workshop is more than just training — it’s about building the foundations for Africa’s agricultural resilience in the face of land degradation and climate change. By empowering researchers, extension agents, and local leaders, we aim to transform agricultural landscapes across the region.”
Organizers highlighted key aspects of the workshop, including five interactive modules covering resilient landscapes, restoration tools, climate-smart management, gender inclusion, and policy frameworks. The program also features field-based learning through visits to exemplary restoration sites in the Senegal River Valley, cross-country knowledge exchange among experts from 25 African nations and five international participants, and a strong focus on scaling up sustainable land practices that bolster food security, biodiversity, and livelihoods for millions, particularly smallholders, women, and youth.
This workshop aligns with Africa’s broader aspirations for achieving climate resilience, sustainable food systems, and economic growth through the revitalization of agricultural landscapes. It also reinforces the efforts of CGIAR and national agricultural systems in delivering science-based solutions for impactful development.