2017–2021

An interdisciplinary research project seeking to address the challenge of achieving food security in sub-Saharan Africa whilst conserving ecosystems and reducing inequalities www.sentinel-gcrf.org In brief Increasing agricultural production to meet rapidly growing demand for food – expected to more than double in sub-Saharan Africa by 2050 – while safeguarding vital ecosystem services and promoting social equality, lies at the heart of sustainable development.

Over four years, Sentinel aims to understand the challenges, trade-offs and synergies inherent in working towards these development goals in sub-Saharan Africa. That knowledge will help governments and policy makers to make better- informed decisions about land use and agricultural practices, so that food security can be improved without losing vital ecosystem functions and without worsening social inequality.

Why now? Research has shown that conflicts between Sustainable Development Goals on improving food security (SDG 2), reducing inequalities (SDG 10) and ecosystem conservation (SDG 15) are intensifying in sub-Saharan Africa because of rapid progress in economic development and population growth. Decision makers in government and the private sector continue to act on an insufficient understanding of the socio-economic and environmental impacts of different agricultural development pathways. Current agricultural development strategies are often based on unrealistic assumptions about productivity gains and likely future expansion of agriculture into forests – particularly considering projected regional changes in climate. Therefore, in some areas, they are on a collision course with forest conservation and restoration policies. This is contributing to increasing inequalities and further marginalises people and communities who depend on agriculture or forests for a living. Our objectives Research capacity Using a participatory process that combines Sentinel research focuses on three African state-of-the-art research with effective countries – Ethiopia, Ghana and Zambia engagement with research users, Sentinel – while working with a wider network of will enhance capacity of researchers stakeholders and universities across Africa in the UK and Africa to investigate to share lessons and build capacity. The sustainable development challenges using a project aims to enhance: transdisciplinary approach.

Knowledge Building capacity of teams and individuals Through co-production of novel research to co-develop cutting edge, applicable by UK and African researchers and research is a key goal of Sentinel. It is also research users, Sentinel will generate new knowledge on the impacts, risks and trade- important to identify and address capacity offs within and between social, economic gaps in institutions and organisational and environmental dimensions of different systems in the UK and Africa. This will agricultural development pathways. ensure that research is relevant and builds on existing knowledge, and that Relationships researchers are well connected, motivated The project will enhance relationships and rewarded. Sentinel will tackle these between UK and African research goals through a organisations by creating and strengthening programme of collaborative research partnerships, to collaborative research and learning, maximise responsiveness to development training and mentoring of junior staff, and challenges and foster a deeper direct engagement with senior university understanding of sustainable development managers. in sub-Saharan Africa.

Timeline Objective Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Enhanced • Conceptual framework • Analysis of key drivers of agricultural • Documentation and • Context analysis - agricultural expansion; past and likely future communication of knowledge development and its drivers expansion and biodiversity / ecosystem results and lessons • Compilation of datasets, review functions learnt on: availability of data • National scale impact assessment; Initial • Agricultural • Refinement of • Research question refinement and site socio-economic surveys in ‘hotspots’ expansion national scale models site selection criteria • Socio- • Policy analysis of impact economic and • Land tenure and land use planning study; Political economy study • Co-development of environmental country-specific impacts • Trade-offs analysis actions / • Trade-offs • Environmental and social field research in ‘hotspots’ recommendations

• Stakeholder analysis and • Refinement of scenarios (environmental • Review of scenarios Enhanced mobilisation of stakeholders via and social impacts) and their use by national learning alliances • Ongoing stakeholder engagement - stakeholders relationships • Initial participatory scenario implementation of communication and development research uptake strategy

Enhanced • Development of capacity framework • Capacity development plan to address • Write-shops for research • Assesssment of research capacity identified gaps proposal (UK and African partners) • Targeted capacity development activities development capacity • First round of RUFORUM PhDs in UK and Africa

Monitoring & evaluation, communications & stakeholder engagement throughout is home to one of the largest natural science Who we are research programmes in Europe, spanning from Sentinel is implemented by a partnership of 10 fundamental to application-oriented science, and organisations in the UK and Africa: across different levels of biological organisation from atoms to the biosphere. It has a particular IIED, UK focus on multidisciplinary collaborations geared The International Institute for Environment to delivering world-class research for the wider and Development promotes sustainable benefit of society. development, linking local priorities to global challenges. It supports some of the world’s most University of Oxford, UK vulnerable people to strengthen their voice in Two departments at Oxford are project partners: decision making. IIED is leading Sentinel with The Environmental Change Institute organises overall responsibility for delivery and project and promotes interdisciplinary research on the management. nature, causes and impact of environmental change and contributes to the development of The Copperbelt University, Zambia management strategies for coping with future The School of Natural Resources at Copperbelt change. University has a mission to produce well trained and equipped professionals working in wood The Department of Zoology is the centre of science, forestry, wildlife, agro-forestry and biological research and teaching at Oxford. It fisheries, and to conduct research for sustainable hosts several major world-leading programmes development and natural resource management of interdisciplinary pure and applied research in Zambia and beyond. aimed at tackling major 21st Century challenges, from health and welfare to climate change and ECRC/EDRI, Ethiopia biodiversity loss. The Environment and Climate Research Center at the Ethiopian Development Research University of Reading, UK Institute supports green and climate-resilient The School of Agriculture, Policy and development in Ethiopia as a knowledge Development at Reading addresses the major backstop. It undertakes policy-oriented research challenges and opportunities in our sector for on the economics of climate and environment the 21st Century, including food production in Ethiopia, and serves as an interactive hub for and security, sustainability of agro-ecosystems, research and policy. ECRC also plays an important adaptation and mitigation to climate change, role in building domestic analytical capacity on poverty alleviation, and international climate-related issues. development. University of Ghana, Ghana RUFORUM, Uganda The Department of Soil Science at the University The Regional Universities Forum for Capacity of Ghana produces soil scientists who have Building in Agriculture is a consortium of 105 cutting-edge scientific skills and expertise in both African universities operating within 37 countries agricultural and non-agricultural concerns. It spanning the continent. RUFORUM supports conducts basic and applied research to address universities to contribute to the wellbeing of issues in agriculture, soil and the environment to small-scale farmers and economic development enhance the development of Ghana. of countries throughout the sub-Saharan Africa region, through innovative capacity development NRI, University of Greenwich, UK and engagement in development process and The Natural Resources Institute at the University practice. of Greenwich is a unique multi-disciplinary centre of excellence with an established reputation for University College London, UK delivering high quality research, advice, teaching The Department of Genetics, Evolution and and training in support of global food security, Environment at UCL covers a broad range sustainable development and poverty reduction. of research and teaching activity, including biodiversity and environmental biology, Imperial College London, UK computational biology, evolution and The Department of Life Sciences at Imperial development. Our Theory of Change

Project objectives: Objective 1: Enhanced knowledge about impacts, risks & trade-offs among social, economic & environmental dimensions of different agricultural development pathways through high quality research that responds to stakeholder needs

Objective 2: Enhanced Objective 3: Enhanced research relationships capacity between UK research organisations and of UK and African researchers and their partners in sub-Saharan Africa organisations

Project outcomes:

Government Civil society Research Private sector policies & plans take organisations organisations actors’ more account of are shaping national have enhanced investment decisions impacts, risks & discourse on agricultural capacity and and engagement in trade-offs of different development to take UK-Africa research national policy agricultural more account of relationships, processes take more development impacts, risks & enabling stronger account of impacts, pathways and request trade-offs of different formulation, risks & trade-offs of more relevant agricultural execution & different agricultural research to be development pathways communication of development conducted by and hold government relevant applied pathways research accountable research organisations

Impact beyond project:

Medium term impact: Agricultural policies, strategies and investment decisions are informed by high quality research on the interrelationships between the social, economic and environmental effects of agricultural development

Long term impact on practice: Government agencies effectively implement agricultural policies to better manage the impacts, risks and trade-offs among social, economic and environmental dimensions of agricultural development

Long term impact on people & planet: Conflicts between food security, natural ecosystems and social justice arising from agricultural development are managed to maximise benefits for sustainable development Contact us To find out more about Sentinel, please contact us using the details below. Visit our website: www.sentinel-gcrf.org Email the team: Principal Investigator: Barbara Adolph, IIED: [email protected] Project Coordinator: Beth Downe, IIED: [email protected] Co-investigators: Jacob Mwitwa, Copperbelt University: [email protected] Tagel Gebrehiwot, ECRC/EDRI: [email protected] Dora Neina, University of Ghana: [email protected] Adrienne Martin, NRI-Greenwich: [email protected] Phil Franks, IIED: [email protected] Joseph Tobias, Imperial College London: [email protected] Monika Zurek, University of Oxford: [email protected] Nathalie Seddon, University of Oxford: [email protected] Elizabeth Robinson, University of Reading: [email protected] Anthony Egeru, RUFORUM: [email protected] Tim Newbold, University College London: [email protected]

About our funders The Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) is a £1.5 billion fund announced by the UK Government in late 2015 to support cutting-edge research that addresses the challenges faced by developing countries. It harnesses the expertise of the UK’s world-leading researchers, focusing on: funding challenge-led disciplinary and interdisciplinary research; strengthening capability for research; and providing an agile response to emergencies where there is an urgent research or on-the-ground need. It forms part of UK Government’s Official Development Assistance commitment and is overseen Photo credits: by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Front cover: Farm labourers working to clear land for Strategy, and delivered through 17 delivery partners including planting crops. Credit: Mike UK Research and Innovation, the UK Academies, the UK Space Goldwater/IIED. Agency and funding bodies. Page 1: Aerial view of a Transition Forest area. Credit: Funded by: Mokhamad Edliadi/CIFOR/ Creative Commons via Flickr (BY-NC-ND 2.0). www.cifor.org Licence: http://bit.ly/RT9dL0