The purpose of this briefing paper is to inform civil society and policymakers on adaptation issues related to land and landscape restoration. The paper outlines AFSA’s position for COP27 on the complex relationship between land management and governance issues in the context of Africa’s climate emergency. It also allows AFSA to communicate its position based on stakeholder engagement and consultations over the course of a year.
Land is the most important asset for households that depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. Access to land is a basic requirement for farming, and control over land is synonymous with wealth, status, and power. In a continent where almost 70% of the population depends on agriculture, there is a real need to secure inclusive and sustainable access, use and control of the land in Africa. Land tenure in Africa has diverse landscapes, ecologies, and climatic zones. A range of livelihood systems have developed to fi t these diverse ecosystems, including nomadic pastoralism, silvo-pastoralism, harvesting forest products, shifting cultivation, sedentary farming, fi shing or combinations of the above. These livelihood systems have depended on communities managing and nurturing the land and natural resources sustainably from generation to generation. Land is thus deeply valued by many African societies, not just as an economic asset but also as a source of cultural identity and spiritual reverence.
