In this podcast from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), listen to Ana Maria Paez Valencia, social scientist and Fergus Sinclair, leader of the Resilient Productivity and Profitability of Agricultural Systems with Trees research theme, both with World Agroforestry (ICRAF), describe their work and the challenges presented by the pandemic from 12:55 to 23:55.

For ICRAF, the familiar slogan ‘building back better’ took on a new meaning earlier this year when the finalization of a project revealed important findings that can guide how the world can ensure that farming systems are resilient to pandemics, climate change and whatever else might arise in years to come.

Restoration of Degraded Land for Food Security and Poverty Reduction in East Africa and the Sahel: Taking Successes in Land Restoration to Scale, was led by ICRAF with funding support from IFAD and the European Union that worked with development programmes to systematically test across a range of contexts promising land restoration options — that had been previously discussed and selected by communities — for both agricultural productivity and ecosystem health.

Variations of each option (such as differently sized planting basins, manure treatments) were tested on farmers’ fields under differing conditions and locations to identify what worked where, why and for whom. The approach allowed farmers to choose the options that they wanted like to implement and compare on their farm.

Understanding the conditions that determined what worked where and for whom required exploring the risks and opportunities these options presented for both men and women in terms of time and labour as well as their control over related resources and benefits. Further, the project was interested in identifying potential synergies between restoration practices and gender equality to develop strategies to diminish risks and magnify benefits.

The study confirmed that efforts to restore agricultural land at farm scale require a context-specific understanding of intra-household decision dynamics and gender relations. Decisions regarding the uptake of certain practices, as well as the distribution of labour and prospective benefits, were influenced by pre-existing gender relations. A thorough gender analysis can help identify restoration options and approaches that can enhance women’s empowerment as well as anticipate any potential trade-offs. 

Listen to the podcast here