Close to 200 participants recently met at the World Agroforestry Centre headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya to “take stock of the continent's landscapes, and plan ahead on how their preservation can improve food security and lift millions out of poverty,” reports Modern Ghana.

The Landscapes for People, Food, and Nature in Africa conference aimed to develop an action plan that will address climate change, environmental degradation and increasing demand for food across the continent.

Among the issues discussed was how to engage the private sector in sustainable integrated landscape management (ILM) through economic models that benefit both businesses and local livelihoods.

Tony Simons, Director General of the World Agroforestry, called on participants to be proactive with engagement for the long-term. “Do this as an opportunity not as a problem as ILM has real and added value and it works,” he said.

For stakeholders to achieve cohesion requires each to understand their added value in ILM, said Lee Gross of Eco-Agricultures Partners, adding “Even though there are conflicting agendas in ILM there are opportunities for civil society, governments and businesses to learn and work together if there are guiding principles”.

Read the full story: Stakeholders Take Stock Of The State Of Africa’s Landscapes

See also: Action needed to create climate resilient landscapes in Africa