Just Transitions towards Land Degradation Neutrality: Tenure Rights for Soil Restoration

TMG Research ThinkTank for Sustainability

Co-Host:
Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Republic of Kenya
Ministry of Planning and Development, Republic of Benin
Department of Forestry, Ministry of Natural Resources, Energy & Mining, Republic of Malawi
Ministre de l’Environnement et du Développement Durable, République de Madagascar
Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)

Time: Friday, 28. January 2022, 08:00 a.m. – 09:00 a.m. (CET), subsequent deep dive 09:00 a.m. – 09:30 a.m.

Languages: English, German, French

Summary:
It starts with people: The human rights imperative for achieving large-scale restoration targets

The climate and biodiversity crises demand fast restoration responses at scale. Yet, large-scale responses carry a risk for smallholder farmers. Often, their land rights are not yet recognised. Earlier experiences show that large-scale restoration involves the risk of alienating people of their lands (e.g., land conflicts in the context of programmes on Reducing Deforestation and Forest Degradation. Well-intended restoration targets might lead to land conflicts.

In view of these experiences, Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification adopted a decision on land tenure that establishes a link between national targets to achieve land degradation neutrality (LDN) and the Voluntary Guidelines on Responsible Land Governance.

Together with partners from Benin and Kenya, TMG Research mapped legitimate land tenure rights of communities that are living in forest areas that are subject of national LDN plans. The results are clear. As of now, there is insufficient recognition of communities’ land rights. This threatens not only people’s livelihoods but also undermines restoration targets.

The GFFA expert panel highlighted that there is recognition by Governments that restoration and people’s land rights are often addressed in isolation of each other. Further, there is a strong interest by governments in identifying ways to realize synergies between landscape restoration and people’s rights.

In view of the current debate on net-zero policies to achieve climate neutrality, this recognition could not be more timely. While there is a fierce debate about the role of net-zero policies in achieving the Paris Climate Agreement, associated investments are already planned. There is no shortcut. Landscape restoration needs to contribute to the progressive realization of people’s rights. Otherwise, it will fail to deliver on biodiversity and climate targets and to protect the livelihoods of those who are already bearing the brunt of these crises.

Responsible Land Governance in LDN Programmes in Benin

Responsible Land Governance in Kenya

Soil microbial diversity is crucial for plant and planetary health

Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (Leibniz ATB)

Time: Thursday, 27. January 2022, 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. (CET), subsequent deep dive 6:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.

Languages: English, German

Summary:
Plants are the key component of a healthy diet providing food for a fast-growing world population. The plant microbiome and soil microbiome are interlinked, and both crucial for health and functioning of the holobiont. Beyond, they are important for planetary ecosystem functions and health issues.

Many current plant production practices result in pollution and contribute to loss of biodiversity, natural resources, and climate change. In the past, human activities influenced the interconnected microbiomes significantly. These shifts resulted in high pre- and post-harvest yield losses, drug-resistant plant and human pathogens, and a spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This typically depleted microbiome signature of the Anthropocene is often followed by a dysbiosis, which leads to outbreaks of viruses, pests and pathogens.

The panelists have discussed the current knowledge about anthropogenic influences on the plant and interconnected microbiome. The aim was to inspire the development of solutions to restore and save plant- and soil-associated microbial diversity for the ecosystem and the closely connected human health.

Sustainable agriculture improving soil governance

Embrapa Soils – Rio de Janeiro/Brazil

Time: Thursday, 27. January 2022, 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. (CET), subsequent deep dive 4:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Languages: English, German

Summary:
Soil is the support of life – it houses about 25% of the planet’s biodiversity. Soils also play a key role in water cycle regulation, nutrients recycling and carbon sequestration. These soil-based ecosystem services are the base for agriculture and food production – it is estimated that 98.8% of the daily calories consumed by humans come from soil [1]. However, estimates indicate that up to half of the fertile soils of the planet might have been lost in the last 150 years [2]. Thus, sustainable agriculture is a key element to change this scenario. Programs and projects that promote agriculture sustainability are important to offer new perspectives for soil conservation and contribute to soil governance. There is a need for understanding how agricultural transitions are being governed through a variety of actors and at several levels. This session is diverse and inclusive, connecting the different sectors. It aims to contribute to move forward on this debate by presenting a multi-level perspective on soil governance and real cases to encourage effective actions for soil sustainable use worldwide. The invited panelists bring a substantial wealth of experience and will present international guidelines, national policies, programs, and interaction with the private sector, highlighting the importance of these initiatives towards an effective soil governance.

Beyond policy change: using the VGGT to secure tenure rights for farmers

FAO
ILC
GIZ
Welthungerhilfe
Land for Life

Time: Thursday, 27. January 2022, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (CET), subsequent deep dive 12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Languages: English, German, French

Summary:
Inequality is increasing in almost all regions in the world. This also applies to access to land. The concentration of agricultural land threatens the livelihoods of billions of people worldwide. Ten years after the adoption of the VGGT experts agree that the political and legal frameworks governing access and ownership of land have improved in many countries. In practice, however, the impact of the Guidelines is still barely visible. Farmers’ land rights continue to be massively curtailed and long-time land users are often expropriated without (adequate) consultation and compensation; women in particular usually have no possibility to defend their right to land. This is where the work of CSOs and constituency-based organisations in the Global South comes in. Though the Guidelines constitute “soft law”, i.e. although they are not legally binding, they can be used to achieve concrete changes. Through broad-based awareness-raising campaigns, local communities are encouraged to demand their legitimate rights vis-à-vis governments and investors; in dialogue spaces, the Guidelines are used to resolve land conflicts; core elements of the Guidelines are integrated into contracts with agricultural investors (“giving them teeth”); and in multi-actor platforms, the Guidelines are used to promote transparency and accountability in the land sector. These experiences need to be scaled. We are urged to act: promoting collective action, boosting investment and reaffirming political will.

• Sierra Leone Success story: https://www.fao.org/3/CA2687EN/ca2687en.pdf
• Senegal success story: https://www.fao.org/3/cb6024en/cb6024en.pdf
• Senegal river basin success story: https://www.fao.org/3/ca9813en/CA9813EN.pdf
• MSP brochure in English: https://www.fao.org/3/cb4297en/cb4297en.pdf
• MSP brochure in French: https://www.fao.org/3/cb4297fr/cb4297fr.pdf
• MSP brochure short version (4 pages): https://www.fao.org/3/ca9800en/CA9800EN.pdf
• Senegal video long version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o639dQKy0yU&t=10s

Multi-dimensional soil health – pathways to incentivise improvements

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office UK

Time: Thursday, 27. January 2022, 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. (CET), subsequent deep dive 10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Languages: English, German

Summary:

Public policies and support play a key role in setting the incentives that drive the decision of agricultural producers in what to produce and how they produce it.  One of the key decisions with large potential impacts is the adoption of sustainable practices and technologies to restore and maintain good soil health. Governments provide over $700bn a year in public support to their food and agriculture sectors, with this support often incentivising harmful practices that contribute to land degradation, chemical run off and deforestation, and a tiny fraction supporting climate resilience and nature. Yet, besides the negative impact this has on future food security by compromising land productivity, agriculture – and soils – are unique in their ability to actively contributing to decarbonizing the atmosphere and recarbonizing nature by sequestering and storing very large volumes of carbon in soils.

There is a huge opportunity to catalyse global action to repurpose public policies towards those that deliver sustainable outcomes benefiting people, nature and our climate. Following recognition at the UN Food Systems Summit (September 2021) and COP26 of just how important this agenda has become, this session will highlight and discuss policy approaches and opportunities for repurposing public support to incentivise and support land users to improve soil health in all its dimensions. The expert panel will discuss challenges in these areas, based on real-world examples of policy initiatives; bringing perspectives from policy makers, farmer voices and academia. This event contributes to the on-going Policy Dialogue on Accelerating Transition to Sustainable Agriculture, co-convened by the UK and the World Bank, and to taking forward the aims of the Policy Action Agenda launched at COP26.

Securing #soilidity. Challenges and solutions for sustainable land use

German Agribusiness Alliance (GAA)
Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies (IAMO)

Cooperation partners:
German Eastern Business Association
German-Russian Agricultural Policy Dialogue

Time: Thursday, 27. January 2022, 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. (CET), subsequent deep dive 9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.

Languages: English, German, Russian, Chinese

Summary:
Climate change, soil degradation and water shortages threaten soil fertility and thus the basis of agriculture. The key question is how to reconcile economic and ecological efficiency. “Agriculture is dependent on the climate, so the goal in agriculture must be to substantially reduce emissions and sequester more CO2, methods for CO2 removal can make a decisive contribution to climate neutrality,” says Prof. Julia Pongratz, LMU Munich. However, a comprehensive assessment must be made with regards to undesirable side effects such as influences on the ecosystem and competition with land use opportunities, she added. Prof. Pavel Krasilnikov, Lomonosov University, Moscow, explained that climate-adapted agriculture in Russia will include more measures to preserve soil fertility and better manage climate change in the future. Torsten Spill, German Seed Alliance, emphasized the role of new plant varieties to produce yields under extreme soil conditions. In his view, international exchange and partnerships between industry and state institutes in research in crop production are central to being able to make appropriate offers. In conclusion, Cornelia Horsch, HORSCH Maschinen, was convinced that the modern agricultural sector would develop in the direction of hybrid agriculture, the combination of conventional and organic farming, in the future.

The bigger the better? The consequences of land investments for land rights, soils and food sovereignty

Forum on Environment and Development
INKOTA-netzwerk
MISEREOR
Bread for the World
FIAN Germany

Time: Wednesday, 26. January 2022, 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. (CET), subsequent deep dive 6:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.

Languages: English, German, Portuguese

Summary:
First, Michael Fakhri outlined in a video message: large-scale land grabs by investors often lead to the displacement of small-scale farming structures, hunger and the supremacy of an industrial agriculture that endangers the environment and health. He pleaded for multilateral solution processes, such as the VGGT, which are based on consensus-oriented development approaches with local communities and the right to food. Sabine Dorlöchter-Sulser then illustrated that large-scale agriculture in Africa neither closes the yield gap nor delivers on employment promises. Maureen Santos used the example of Brazil to show how the cycle of devastation by pesticides is reinforced as a result of state and international investments in large-scale land grabbing. Johannes Kotschi then drew attention to the increased use of mineral fertilizers as investments in land increase, and the associated negative impacts on soils, the environment and the climate. Drawing on his experiences in Mozambique, Luìs Muchanga emphasized that the model of land expropriation for commodities is not suitable for food security and reported on the positive effects of agroecology. Finally, all panelists agreed on the need to stop these land grabs and to implement concrete transformation strategies to support smallholder producers and to strengthen agroecological approaches at national and international level.

Innovations to Boost Investment in Healthy Soils

The World Bank

Time: Wednesday, 26. January 2022, 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. (CET), subsequent deep dive 4:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Languages: English, German

Summary:
The objective of this session is to explore innovations in financing models and partnerships required to engage the private sector and close the gap in investment in healthier soils. Investing in soil health can provide social, financial and environmental benefits. Healthy soils build drought resilience, increase yield stability, reduce nutrient loss and increase carbon sequestration. These multiple benefits make soils one of the most cost-effective ways to achieve food systems transformation. Yet, investments in soils remain meagre. To harness the nearly $600 billion in public support and trillions in private investment in agriculture and food towards new investments in soil protection and restoration, innovations in financing and partnerships are required to bridge the gap between the substantial economic and environmental benefits to society and the frequent perception of limited financial incentives for producers.

This session will highlight the challenges from the perspective of private sector producers, and the innovations in financing (e.g. outcome-based financing linked to technology-based soil carbon MRV systems) and partnerships (e.g. private companies and farmer groups through the Food Systems, Land Use and Restoration (FOLUR) Impact Program) whose wider application could drive soil protection and restoration at the scale needed to benefit of farmers, business and the environment and create healthy people, a healthy planet and healthy economies.

Investing in healthy soils – Curse and blessing of private sector financing and carbon offsetting

WWF Germany

Time: Wednesday, 26. January 2022, 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. (CET), subsequent deep dive 9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.

Languages: English, German

Summary:
Healthy soils are the assets of our farmers. Investments in healthy soils are consequently investments in the future. The (financial) market “C-sink soil” is booming. However, there is often a lack of specifically tailored financing options for a shift to sustainable agricultural practices that also preserve our soils and restore and improve their fertility.

And this despite the fact that this can support climate change mitigation and adaptation and forms the basis of healthy food.

We want to discuss what is possible, what approaches and initiatives are already in place, and provide real answers as to what needs to be done by the relevant stakeholders (politics, trade, agriculture, financial sector) to establish and implement new funding opportunities.

One much debated approach is partial financing from carbon permits to capitalise on the added value of soils as carbon sinks. Therefore, we will also take a critical look at the subject of Net-Zero and CO2 offsetting and present alternatives.

We believe that funding climate-friendly measures entirely by means of private-sector financing instruments can only be a temporary solution. Such private-sector instruments are always made available on a voluntary basis and, in most cases, only a comparatively small group of holdings that follow a proactive approach makes use of them. As described in the Farm to Fork Strategy, incentives must be offered both by the CAP and private initiatives to achieve the European climate goals. In order to reach as many farms as possible, the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) also holds potential for making the subsidies granted contingent on the delivery of climate-friendly environmental and system services.

The aim of this panel is to increase awareness among the political actors involved for the topic in general and the potential, but also the challenges associated with it, to put them in contact with important stakeholders, and to provide them with adequate information so that they will take an interest in further advancing the subject by initiating possible research or on-site implementation projects.

From the sky down: Managing land use and soils towards net zero emissions

Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)

Time: Tuesday, 25. January 2022, 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. (CET), subsequent deep dive 6:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.

Languages: English, German

Summary:
Achieving net-zero carbon emissions and limiting global temperature increases to 2oC this century will not be possible without augmenting the world’s terrestrial carbon sinks. Expert speakers offered different approaches to progress in this area, via peatland and wetland conservation, building soil carbon sequestration by greening the land, accelerate sustainable agricultural productivity growth to save land for forests and conservation, and revisiting policies to encourage farmers to move in this direction. The discussion that followed confronted the different strategies and discussed means to combine those and others to progress towards climate goals for the sector.