Rural transformation

Presented by Melinda Fones-Sundell at the workshop "Moving Africa Towards a Knowledge based Bio-economy: How can Sweden assist?" organised by the SIANI Bio-economy Expert Group on 3 December 2014. 

Indigenous and local communities, particularly in forest areas, are increasingly affected by environmental degradation and deforestation, which is often the result of unsustainable land use and global demand for commodities and mineral resources.

The Save Our Soils seminar provided a platform to address the great challenges we face and highlight the exciting opportunities we have in preserving our soils – from tackling erosion and food...

In the next decade agricultural development in Africa will occur against a backdrop of dynamic changes in global, regional and national economies, driven by rapid globalization, increasing demand for strategic resources, instabilities affecting agro-food and energy systems and, not the least, by the growing population.

Cheikh Mbow, Adjunct Associate Professor at Michigan State University, USA, on what is hampering upscaling of agroforestry

In search for higher income men leave to cities or abroad. This type of migration is not only transforming rural economies, but also changes gender relations.

There are approximately 400 to 500 million small farms around the world. This implies that some two billion people – a third of the world‘s population – are dependent on smallholding for their livelihoods.

A new EBA report based on a systematic review of impact evaluations about our understanding of the double objectives, climate benefits and poverty reduction, shows a ‘know-do gap’. Three Focali members, Gunnar Köhlin, Madelene Ostwald and Eskil Mattson, were part of the review that focused on forest conservation and household energy transitions.

Forests are not the first thing that comes to mind when you think about food security. Sure, it’s fun to go mushroom picking, but otherwise what is the big deal about the role of forests in food security?