Background Paper
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GEF-6 INTEGRATED APPROACH PILOT ON SUSTAINABILITY AND RESILIENCE FOR FOOD SECURITY IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA Background Information on Target Geographies 12 August 2014 Table of Contents 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 4 1.1 The Sahel Zone ................................................................................................................................... 4 1.2 East African Highlands ....................................................................................................................... 9 1.3 Horn of Africa ................................................................................................................................... 11 1.4 Southern Africa ................................................................................................................................. 13 2. Institutional Context for Food Security .............................................................................................. 16 2.1 National Governments ...................................................................................................................... 16 2.2 GEF Agencies ................................................................................................................................... 17 2.3 Regional Entities ............................................................................................................................... 18 2.4 Private Sector and Civil Society Organizations ................................................................................ 19 2.5 Research Organizations .................................................................................................................... 19 Annex 1 – Country Data ............................................................................................................................... 1 SAHEL ...................................................................................................................................................... 1 Distribution of Farming Systems .......................................................................................................... 1 Population and Food Security ............................................................................................................... 1 Agriculture ............................................................................................................................................ 2 Environmental constraints..................................................................................................................... 3 EAST AFRICA HIGHLANDS ................................................................................................................. 4 Distribution of Farming Systems .......................................................................................................... 4 Population and Food Security – East Africa ......................................................................................... 4 Agriculture – East Africa ...................................................................................................................... 5 Environmental constraints..................................................................................................................... 5 HORN OF AFRICA ................................................................................................................................. 5 Distribution of Farming Systems .......................................................................................................... 5 Population and Food Security ............................................................................................................... 6 Agriculture ............................................................................................................................................ 6 Environmental constraints..................................................................................................................... 6 SOUTHERN AFRICA .............................................................................................................................. 7 Distribution of Farming System ............................................................................................................ 7 Population and Food Security ............................................................................................................... 7 Agriculture ............................................................................................................................................ 8 2 Environmental constraints..................................................................................................................... 8 Annex 2. Yield Gains and Carbon Potential (Forest Trends et al, 2010) .................................................. 9 Annex 3 – Proposed Integrated Management Priorities for Scaling-up.................................................. 12 Bibliography ........................................................................................................................................... 14 3 GEF-6 Integrated Approach Pilot on Sustainability and Resilience for Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa1 1. Introduction In order to ensure outcomes that are consistent with GEF mandate, the IAP will be anchored in specific agro-ecological contexts where the need for food security is linked directly to opportunities for generating global environmental benefits. This includes areas prone to environmental crisis leading to food insecurity; that have potential for improvement and scaling up based on evidence; with some success to build on; and with evidence of grassroots engagement demonstrating ownership and sustainability. Based on these criteria, the IAP will target the following geographies, which together comprise five of the most important farming/livelihood systems in Sub-Saharan Africa (Map 1): Sahel – the Guinea-Savanna dominated by cereal-root crop and agro-pastoral systems Eastern Africa Highlands – areas dominated by mixed and perennial farming systems, with high population densities Horn of Africa – high and low potential areas, including pastoral systems prone to extreme food shortages Southern Africa – the crop-livestock systems in the sub-humid zone, with maize as the dominant food crop The purpose of this brief is to highlight the agro-ecological contexts of food production and food value chains in these target areas, including dominant farming systems, and the biophysical, social, and ecological constraints associated with smallholder practices. It also highlights options and approaches for promoting sustainability and resilience, including institutional contexts for influencing action under the proposed IAP. Relevant data on countries in each of the target geographies are presented in a separate annex, followed by a detailed list of references. 1.1 The Sahel Zone The Sahel target geography is defined as the portion of the Guinea-Savanna agro-ecological zone which is dominated by agro-pastoral and cereal-root crop mixed farming systems. It represents 1 Note: Detailed Description of the IAP is included in the GEF-6 Programming Document, which is available from - https://www.thegef.org/gef/sites/thegef.org/files/webpage_attached/GEF6_programming_directions_final_0.pdf 4 37% of the total land area of the 18 countries through which it passes, covering about 3.2 million km2 for the two farming systems out of a total land area of 8.4 million km (Table 1).2 In the farming systems map this corresponds to the livelihood zones or farming systems #3 (agro- pastoral) and #5 (cereal-root crop). Map 2 below presents these two zones as currently defined in the FAO’s farming systems GIS database. Map 1. Sub-Saharan Africa Dryland Farming Systems (with target geographies for the IAP) Although the two farming systems are very close in spatial terms, important contrasts can be noted (see Box 1). In particular, the semi-arid agro-pastoral system is thought to have modest potential for agricultural growth and poverty reduction (other than exit from agriculture), with food insecurity mainly due to high risk of drought as well as low soil fertility. Conversely, the adjacent cereal-root crop mixed system is considered to have strong potential for agricultural growth through intensification, expansion of farm size, and diversification to higher value 2 Note that many datasets do not yet include South Sudan, which became independent in July 2011. This report provides data for South Sudan where available, and notes where data apply only to Sudan before the partition. 5 products. Soil moisture management and soil fertility interventions are critical in both zones, thus combining them within the same target geography appears to be a practical approach even though there are also important differences. (Interestingly, the population density appears to be slightly higher in the agro-pastoral area than in the cereal-root crop area). Table 1. Sahel Zone Target Area and Population Farming/livelihood System Area % Population % Pop. Density (km2) (per km2) Agro-pastoral millet sorghum 1,272,127 39 60,755,508 42 48 Cereal-root crop mixed 2,023,473 61 82,787,352 58 41 Total 3,295,600 100 143,542,860 100 43.5 Map 2. The Sahel Target Geography 6 For the zone as a whole, the cereal-root crop mixed system accounts for a larger share of the area and population