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„You must be multisectoral in your thinking”

2020-11-11

For years, place-based approaches to development have been considered important features in development cooperation, at the BMZ and in FAO. Both organisations are aiming at advancing these approaches: an interview with Adriano Campolina from the FAO on territorial and landscape perspectives.

By Jan Rübel

Jan Rübel is author at Zeitenspiegel Reportagen, a columnist at Yahoo and writes for national newspapers and magazines. He studied History and Middle Eastern Studies.

All contributions

Weitere Informationen

FAO and BMZ, with support from GIZ, organized the Territorial and Landscape Days (7-9 July 2020) as an online expert dialogue on spatial approaches to sustainable development. Here, practitioners and policy makers from OECD, AfD, EU, CIRAD, RIMISP, UN-Habitat, IFPRI, Wageningen University, FAO, BMZ and GIZ shared their experiences in implementing spatial approaches and discussed ways to further strengthen their contribution to rural development.

On this occasion, the results of a BMZ-funded and GIZ-commissioned stocktaking on territorial approaches by the Territorial Perspectives for Development (TP4D) partner group were presented and discussed. Workshop participants were also engaged in an expert consultation process to deepen the integration of territorial and landscape approaches. The main outcomes of the online event are summarized in the documentation, which can be accessed here.

Can you remember when the time came that you personally thought: a holistic perspective to development seems inevitable…

A long time ago. My first professional experience was in the early nineties. After having finished my studies in agronomics, I began as an extensionist and community development manager where I was supposed to work a lot around participatory breeding of local varieties of maize. When we tried to identify with the smallholder farmers the most productive variety of maize, it was very clear that there was no way that we could have an impact at the level of an farm if we focused only on one product. We had to look holistically at the farm as a whole, from soil to water management and different cash or non-cash crops - they have to ensure the food security of the household. Further, it was impossible to have one farm become sustainable while ignoring the entire landscape. And each one of these areas was correlated with challenges and opportunities like price, price formation, the role of the local trader, the role of the agricultural policies – everything was interconnected and therefore required a holistic perspective.

Did you experience one-size-fits-it-all interventions?

This or extremely precise and focused interventions would very easily get lost or not produce any impact. You could increase the yield of maize, but the prices could have collapsed or the land ownership of the smallholder farmers be at risk, Hence, I learned about holistic approaches pretty much on my first job – the need to integrate the technical solutions with many other types of solutions and dynamics. Particularly on the side of strengthening rural institutions and organizing farmers.

To what extent has this exposed the Corona pandemic?

At the early stage of the pandemic, I examined the smallholder’s access to markets. That was in March. Immediately, we witnessed an impact with holistic consequences. The fact that for instance, smallholder farmers got cut off from access to inputs and markets on initial stages of COVID-19 response with strong restrictions to movement, at once had an impact on the entire food system affected regions. Another example was the impact of restrictions of movements for rural workers: None of these impacts were isolated, they always created an impact on the whole food system. The solutions to these problems were the most effective ones when they provided a holistic response to different areas of impact: from access to inputs, access to markets and addressing liquidity.

Women at their market stalls. © Shilpi Saxena, GIZ

Do you have an example for that?

If you are a farmer producing vegetables and next morning you don’t have either access to markets to sell it, or the demand for your product collapsed due to abrupt changes on consumer preferences your entire business is at risk. You deal with many things at the same time. First you have a liquidity crisis, then a financial challenge when you have to repay loans or credits, and then there is the challenge of finding means of production again as you probably have lost an important part of your harvest. Then you have to look to what extent you will be able to have workers to help you in a situation of lockdown. And even when you manage to produce: where selling it? You need to address all those problems simultaneously, otherwise you fail.

Holistic approaches are like magic words - they are used all the time. Even sometimes as a hollow phrase?

People tempt to say “holistic” without being fully aware of the key drivers to change that need to be to address at the same time. You can make a very beautiful phrase about holistic solutions, but that alone does not equip you to act. You have to go to the next level of identifying the five, six key drivers of change that are the most important, and their interconnectedness. Looking holistically, you need to adopt a perspective which allows you to capture all relevant issues in order to reach development trajectories that are truly multidimensional and holistic.. Just saying holistic does not make it holistic. Holistic means implementing a lot of things at the same time, in different sectors, that go into the same direction. For that you need to look at the whole landscape or territory.

Are there any differences between territorial and landscape approaches?

At the FAO we are working towards integrating both territorial and landscape approaches. The two come from different experiences. The territorial one stems very much from understanding the socioeconomic interrelations within a given space. The landscape approach comes from understanding the fundamental natural phenomena of a landscape and the environmental and natural resources management related issues on the landscape. However, any good landscape practitioner would very soon realize that it is impossible to walk into promoting a sustainable landscape if you don’t deal with the socioeconomic issues that are underpinning the trends of natural resources use in that particular space. And reversely, any good territory development practitioner would very soon realize that the dynamics of the natural resources, their characteristics and their interrelation with the society are absolutely fundamental to understand socio-economic development.

But they are different?

They come from different trajectories and entry points. But they have a lot of things in common. They share the idea that you should not look for one-size-fits-all but should design solutions according to the specific conditions of a territory and landscape. Secondly, they see the interrelation between different stakeholders on a particular space as an important thing to work on. These two approaches acknowledge that there is no single sector solution. It can’t be agriculture only, the environmental conversation only, it can’t be the economy only: You must be multisectoral in your thinking to be able to bring solutions. All these thoughts share the crucial issues of scale and multi sector perspective in most of the stakeholders that allows them to come together. However, they flourish through different entry points – and these points are very important and context-related. Sometimes, there would be more and more entry points, but the more we integrate and allow the possibility of each one of them learning from each other and get the best tools of the other, we can advance what we have in common. Hence, territorial and landscape approaches are not same, but they head into the same direction and they share enough to benefit for the better exchange of tools and knowledge.

The more we allow the possibility of learning from each other, we can advance what we have in common.

What are the synergies of territorial and landscape approaches?

I would not necessarily say that we combine it all into a completely new approach, but we rather make sure that we use both of them in a more integrated way. The synergies are fundamentally the fact that they are place-based. And the other synergy is: Both approaches have a very clear understanding of the interrelations between the three elements of sustainability: social, economic and environmental – and that the three have to be brought together; otherwise, you will always lose one. The two approaches have also in common that there is a multitude of stakeholders that have to be taken into account at the same time. And although they are place-based, they are also people-centred. They both see the sense of role that people play. And finally, those are approaches that on one hand, see a given space, a territory or a landscape as the optimum scale of action, and on the other hand they also see the relationship between different scales.

Different players such as FAO and BMZ are now cooperating in the development and evaluation of the approaches. What are the benefits?

The main benefits are really to design processes of development that are inclusive, sustainable, effective and that mobilize the dynamics and different actors in a given space that are fit for purpose to the specific conditions that regions have and therefore make them more appropriate and responsive to the needs of the people.

Adriano Campolina is Senior Policy Officer at FAO in Rom © Campolina

How does the FAO benefit in concrete terms?

I can give you a couple of examples. FAO’s regional office for Latin America and the Caribbean identified the hundred territories that are left behind in terms of poverty alleviation and economic development. Therefore, they are now engaged in mobilizing resources to integrate them towards territorial development plans that can accelerate in those areas a number of territorial diagnosis and plans which really can bring them up to speed. Another example is the FAO “hand-in-hand-initiative”, that focuses primarily on the least developed countries and looks into how we can understand the levers of various types of intervention in each of those 50 countries to best unlock their potentials. And in these regions we work on building a dataset that allows us to understand the strands of the microregion and we work on coordinating investments, bringing together different sources of investment towards the most adequate solutions to the specific characteristics of that region. We are also undertaking territorial diagnostics in some regions. These are some examples of territorial thinking has been translated by FAO into it’s work.

Are guiding principles indispensable?

They help to reflect jointly on questions related to place-based approaches, share our learnings and develop knowledge. Elaborating these territorial perspectives for development was an important initiative that brought many development agencies together, including Cirad, BMZ, GIZ and FAO and many others. The guiding principles helped us to create a common understanding and a better way to learn from each other. Concerning territorial development and landscape management, there are a lot of initiatives around and many different organizations on various levels are trying to systematize and learn from that.

Speaking of multi-levels: Does the national level sometimes stand in the way of development at local level? Would the higher level have to give up competencies?

It goes both ways. There are moments in which a territorial development process faces impediments at a higher level. For instance, there can be a classic one: People say that you have to decentralize the use of resources – but the budget is not going to be decentralized… It does not work when you decentralize the responsibility but not the capacities and resources. Or you find out the existence of a policy or a national agency that should better be involved at decentral levels – my view is that in many ways the multi-level refers to understand the roles of the various levels, such as national policy making or specific issues that occur at community levels. Within that you make sure that you understand what the conditions and challenges are, and you plan to interact.

Back to overview

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Gender Justice – a Precondition for Resilience

A contribution by IFPRI

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A contribution by GIZ

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A contribution by Welthungerhilfe

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Karel Prinsloo/Arete/Rockefeller Foundation/AGRA

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A contribution by Lisa Hücking (WHH)

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A contribution by Beatrice Gakuba (AWAN-AFRIKA)

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Innovations for a secure food supply

A contribution by German Agribusiness Alliance

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News from the starting block: Changeover

A contribution by Michael Brüntrup (DIE)

The region of Sub-Saharan Africa is on the decisive verge of a great development boost in farming: it could skip entire generations of technological development. But how? About possible roles and potentials of digital services.

"The Green Revolution reaches its limits"

Interview with Stig Tanzmann (BfdW)

Stig Tanzmann is a farmer and adviser on agricultural issues at ‘Bread for the World’. Jan Rübel interviewed him about his reservations about AGRA's strategy.

The communicator

A contribution by Jan Rübel

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Spiritual mortar for the young generation

A contribution by Jan Rübel

Fred Swaniker is working building a new era of leaders. And what about agriculture? ‘It needs to be more sexy!’

Continent in an uptrend

A report by Dr. Agnes Kalibata (AGRA)

Partnering for Africa’s Century: Innovation and Leadership as Drivers of Growth and Productivity in Rural Areas

Biodiversity and agriculture – rivalry or a new friendship?

A contribution by Irene Hoffmann (FAO)

In this article, the author describes what we know about interlinkages, what role agriculture has to play in the sustainable use and conservation of biodiversity, and what the necessary changes in agricultural systems might look like, both on small and large-scale farms.

Mr. Marí, what happened at the alternative summit?

An Interview with Francisco Marí (Brot für die Welt)

Brot für die Welt (Bread for the World) did not attend the UNFSS pre-summit. Instead, the organisation took part in a counter-summit that took place at the same time. A conversation with Francisco Marí about the reasons, the process - and an outlook for the future

How much do we actually waste, Mr. McFeely?

An interview with Peter McFeely (WWF)

The WWF has published a sensational study on food waste. The focus: farm-stage food waste. Peter McFeely, Global head of communications and strategic planning at WWF, explains what needs to be done.

What is wrong with our nutrition in Germany, Mr. Plagge ?

An interview with Jan Plagge (Bioland)

Vitamin-poor nutrition must become more expensive, in-vitro meat is not a panacea, and agricultural systems should be more decentralised. Bioland President Jan Plagge in an interview about the challenge of (future) world nutrition.

How Can We Feed The World in Times of Climate Change?

A Contribution by Jan Grossarth

Genetically modified bacteria become edible proteins, cows graze on pasture, and no waste is produced in an industrial circular economy. Journalist Jan Grossarth sees a silver lining for the future of world nutrition

Innovation Challenge 2021

Competition for ideas by BMZ

Out of 40 consortia that applied from all over the world, 14 were invited to present their innovative concept on agroecological approaches in the form of an online pitch and to face the questions of an international jury of experts. Find out which six semi-finalists were selected by the jury and what happens next in this article.

The future is rural

A contribution by "World Without Hunger"

The future is rural. Young African entrepreneurs gave their generation a vocie during the G-20 conference in Berlin. "World Without Hunger" asked six of them, how more jobs can be created in rural areas.

Nine Harvests Left until 2030: How Will the BMZ Organise Itself in the Future?

An Interview with Dirk Schattschneider (BMZ)

"One World no Hunger" (SEWOH) becomes one of the five core themes of the BMZ. Dirk Schattschneider, SEWOH Commissioner about previous approaches, future areas of action, and the political will to end hunger.

'The Doors are Open - We Farmers are Ready'

An Interview with Shamika Mone (INOFO) and Elizabeth Nsimadala (EAFF)

At the UN Food Systems Summit, farmers organizations have been represented on the international stage for the first time ever. Two representatives talk about bridging personal aspirations with the representation of regional needs and international negotiations.

Cooperation and Effective Incentives for Sustainable Land Use

A Contribution by GIZ

The second GFFA expert panel highlights the need for governance action to reverse global trends of land degradation.

GFFA for New Perspectives on the Planet’s Soils

A Contribution by Journalist Jan Ruebel

For five days, the 2022 Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) in Berlin is all about strategies for a more sustainable land use.

Strenghtening Farmers' Rights with Soft Laws

A Contribution by Welthungerhilfe

How the UN Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests (VGGT) contribute to fairer and more secure land access.

What Needs to Change for Africa’s Youth, Ms Kah Walla?

An Interview with Kah Walla

A conversation with the activist and entrepreneur Kah Walla about what needs to change for young people in rural Africa.

How to Enhance Soil Organic Carbon – Uniting Traditional and Innovative Practices

A Contribution by GIZ

Indian farmers restore precious soil material combining traditional with innovative approaches. A case example how governance, agriculture and development cooperation can work together to combat climate change.

Digitalization: The Driving Force in the Future of Agriculture?

A Contribution by GIZ

At the ICTforAg conference in March 2022, the digital agriculture community exchanged on the challenges and opportunities associated with the next green revolution.

Our Food Systems are in Urgent Need of Crisis-Proofing: what needs to be done

An Artikel by TMG

Based on a scientific study by TMG Think Tank, the authors highlight various challenges in the fight against the hunger crisis. The findings show that climate change, conflict and covid-19 are increasing food and energy prices.

New UN Biodiversity Agreement

A Contribution by Rural 21

Nations adopted four goals and 23 targets for 2030 to foster biodiversity conservation and counter acceleration in the global rate of species extinction at the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15).

"Human capital will play a pivotal role in the transformation of African economies"

A contribution by Ben Leyka

The potential the African food sector holds is still far too strongly associated with the continent’s natural resources, Ben Leyka maintains. He seeks to change this with the African Agri Council.

And a semicolon in the middle

A contribution by Jan Rübel

After a two-year break due to Corona, the doors of the International Green Week (IGW) in Berlin are opening again. From 20th to 29th January, visitors from all over the world can discover, marvel and taste the produce. But the event is not only feasting and fun. The BMZ stand asks questions about where food comes from & where it goes – and in the process becomes a crash test for many habits.

The importance of water for sustainable rural development

A contribtion by WE4F

How can the challenges related to water, rural development and climate resilient agriculture be addressed? What innovations need to be promoted? The Water and Energy for Food (WE4F) initiative presents strategies and innovations for sustainable, integrated water management in German and international cooperation.

From reaction to action

A contribtion by GIZ

A Year of Multiple Crises: Russian war against Ukraine, extreme weather events, high prices for energy and fertilizer, food crisis had severe implications for food security and agriculture globally and especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. A Transformation of the food systems is needed.

New legal initiatives towards deforestation-free supply chains as a game changer

A Contribution by Gerhard Langenberger

Regarding deforestation free supply chains, there are challenges and opportunities for smallholder farmers as well as for international forest governance. Also, responsibilities for companies and potential incentives for manufacturers to use materials from fair trade and sustainable sources need to be explored. But what does “deforestation-free” actually mean?

2022, a year of crisis – What does it mean for African trade and food security?

A Contribution by Ousmane Badiane

The Africa Agriculture Trade Monitor 2022 (AATM) was published by IFPRI and AKADEMIYA2063. The report analyses the short- and long-term trends and drivers of African agricultural trade flows, including regional policies and the role of global markets.

How the War against Ukraine Destabilizes Global Grain Markets

A Contribution by GIZ

Since early February 2022, two of the biggest grain and oilseed exporters have been at war. An overview, which countries are affected most severely by the destabilized grain markets, and what comes next.

Controversy: Do supply chains need liability rules?

Discussion about the potential supply chain law

The German government is struggling to pass a supply chain law. It is intended to address violations of human rights, social and environmental standards. What would the consequences be for business? A double interview with Veselina Vasileva from GEPA and economics professor Andreas Freytag.

Sustainable, feminist and socially just: The new Africa strategy of the BMZ

A contribution by Prof. Dr. Anna-Katharina Hornidge

In the video format "#99SecondsWith" of the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), Prof. Dr Anna - Katharina Hornidge talks about the new Africa-Strategy of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

Do import restrictions really benefit the local poor in West Africa?

A contribution by Isabel Knößlsdorfer

Protectionist policies like tariffs supposedly protect domestic producers if they cannot compete with cheaper imported products. Some African countries have therefore opted to impose such import restrictions for a number of products. For the case of chicken imports in Ghana, this study analyses whether restrictions would lead to overall positive or negative welfare effects among households.

Sang'alo Institute invests in farming of sunflower crop

A contribution by James Wanzala

Kenya is a large importer of vetable oils mainly from Indonesia and Malaysia - amongst them sunflower oil. Due to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, there were supply bottlenecks and food shortages, leading to less affordable vegetable oils in Kenya. As a response to the lack of supply, the Sanga'alo Institute of Science and Technology, took that impulse, teamed up with the GIZ and established regional cultivation and refinement of sunflowers.

Farmers' organizations want to be involved in designing agricultural policy

An interview with Kolyang Palebele

Four interviews kick off the relaunch under the new name „Food4Transformation“, asking the same questions from different perspectives. "Women and young people need access to land. And they need financial support to cultivate this land." - says Kolyang Palebele, President of the Pan African Farmers Organisation (PAFO).

Agricultural policy belongs in prime time

An interview with Dr. Julia Köhn

Four interviews kick off the relaunch under the new name „Food4Transformation“, asking the same questions from different perspectives. Dr Julia Köhn, Chair of the German AgriFood Society, points out in the interview: Only if innovation and transformation are profitable in the medium term can they close the food gap in the long term.

BMZ releases video on the transformation of agricultural and food systems

A contribution by GIZ

The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) has released a video on the transformation of agricultural and food systems. In the video, Federal Minister Svenja Schulze also speaks about the urgent need to combat global hunger and contribute to resilient agricultural and food systems.

“More of the same is not enough - we need to rethink”

An interview with Dirk Meyer

Four interviews kick off the relaunch under the new name „Food4Transformation“, asking the same questions from different perspectives. Dirk Meyer, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, thinks: less individual solutions are needed, but more systemic approaches. Because in addition to the goals for food security, the issues of climate and biodiversity must also be taken into account.

Unlocking the potential of agrivoltaics

A contribution by Fraunhofer Institute

Agrivoltaics is a concept that combines photovoltaic electricity generation and agricultural production, providing the opportunity for a more efficient land use and contributing overall to the integration of food, energy and water systems. This can be particularly interesting for countries in the Global South, where rural electrification rates are often low and food security needs to be improved.

Partners for change - Network meeting on transforming agricultural and food systems

A Contribution by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development

At the network meeting "Partners for change - Transformation to a food secure, resilient and sustainable future", almost 250 participants from over 20 countries came together to exchange experiences and ideas on the transformation of agricultural and food systems. The final product, joint recommendations to transform agricultural and food systems, can now be read online.

Just change starts with listening

A Contribution by Jan Rübel

Halfway through the 2030 Agenda, the BMZ invited participants to a network meeting entitled "Partners for change - Transformation to a food secure, resilient and sustainable future". Experts from around the world developed recommendations in a consultation process and then consolidated them in Berlin. A site visit.

Think20 Policy Brief centres on Agroecology

Insights from the T20 Policy Brief

Given the urgency of transforming agricultural and food systems, GIZ India's Food Systems and Agroecology Working Group is exploring the potential of agroecology in collaboration with Think20 partners. A policy brief has now been published.

A framework for sustainable and fair agriculture and food systems

A Contribution by Gideon Tups

The guiding orientation framework developed by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) summarizes the requirements for the transformation of agriculture and food systems – and identifies principles and approaches for transformative change.

Stick together and learn from each other

By Claudia Jordan

During the Women Leadership Programme in May 2024, around 20 women from African countries and Germany met again for a one-week workshop in Bavaria, Germany to become fit for leadership in their organisations. One topic that concerns the women across countries is climate change, but also violence against women and their discrimination in agriculture.

Uprooting the Norm

A Contribution by GIZ

As a passionate social scientist and entrepreneur from Malawi, Ngabaghila Chatata knows that she can overcome any challenge. Her story stands out in a country faced with high unemployment, particularly in its rural areas. As the managing director of Thanthwe Farms, she has set out to inspire the next generation of young agripreneurs – proving that successful business starts with the right mindset, not only capital.

The human finca

Interview with Marvin Antonio Garcia Otero

In Eastern El Salvador, campesinos are cultivating a self-image to encourage rural youth to remain in rural areas. With help from Caritas, they have adjusted the cultivation methods to their soils and traditions - Marvin Antonio Garcia Otero,the deputy director of Caritas of the Diocese of San Miguel believes this is the best way to prevent rural exodus and criminality.

“Healthy ground brings good and many fruits”

Interview with Ben Sekamatte and Boaz Ogola

Africa's cotton production plays a key role in the fight against poverty. The "Cotton Made in Africa" initiative promotes sustainable cultivation - one element of which is the use of organic pesticides. Entomologist Ben Sekamatte and cotton company manager Boaz Ogola talked with Jan Rübel about soil and yields.

A classroom in the Garden of Eden

By Iris Manner

Deforestation harms people and the environment. With nurseries, farmers can earn money and do good. You just have to know how to do it

How much private investment is the agricultural sector able to bear?

By Pedro Morazán

Small farmers in developing countries must modernise their farming methods, but poorly understood reforms could exacerbate poverty instead of alleviating it.

No dirty dealing

Von Marlis Lindecke

Shit Business is Serious Business: A successful cooperation between research and the private sector.

Support for sustainable start-ups

Companies in Africa that need financing between $20,000 and $200,000 find relatively few investors, as this sector is too large for microcredit and too small for institutional investors. This creates a "gap in the middle" where companies have limited options. A project of the World Resource Institute provides a remedy with the Landaccelerator 2020.

A World Resources Institute project

Climate Adaptation Summit 2021: ‘We can do better’

Event report by Jan Rübel (Zeitenspiegel)

The first Climate Adaptation Summit put climate adaptation at the center of politics for the first time. The virtual meeting united global players with one goal: building resilience is just as important as climate protection itself. Around 15,000 participants discussed direct proposals.

Mr. Samimi, what is environmental change doing to Africa?

Interview with Cyrus Samimi (IAS)

Environmental change is having a particularly strong impact on the African continent. Its landscapes see both negative and positive processes. What is science's view of this? A conversation with Cyrus Samimi about mobility for livelihoods, urban gardening and dealing with nature.

Small fish with a big potential

A contribution by Paul van Zwieten

African inland fisheries are increasingly reliant on the capture of small fish species that are sundried and traded over long distances. They make an important contribution in alleviating “hidden hunger”: consumed whole, small fish are an important source of micronutrients. Only that, unfortunately, politicians haven’t yet realised this.

Edible bugs - the new beef?

A contribution by Marwa Shumo

Insect farming is economical and environmentally sustainable, they are high in protein and they live on agricultural waste. Marwa Abdel Hamid Shumo thinks: They are the best weapon to combat hunger

The 'Grey Gold'

A contribution by Maria Schmidt (GIZ)

The Cashew Council is the first international organisation for a raw material stemming from Africa. The industry promises to make progress in processing and refining cashew nuts - and answers to climate change

Human Rights, Land and Rural Development

A contribution by Michael Windfuhr (German Institute for Human Rights)

Land rights are no longer governed by the law of the strongest. That is what the international community has agreed to. Governments and private companies have a duty to respect human rights and avoid corruption.

Land is Crucial for Development

A contribution by Roselyn Korleh and M. Sahr Nouwah (WHH)

The Liberian town of Kinjor is a picture-book example for what happens, if land rights aren’t protected, and it illustrates how to move forward from there. The keyword: Multi-Actor Partnership

From Berlin to Yen Bai: 10,000 trees for Vietnam

A contribution by GIZ and BMZ

It began with clicks at a trade fair and ends with concrete reforestation: a campaign at the Green Week in Berlin is now enriching the forests of the Yen Bai Province in Vietnam. A chronicle of an education about climatic relevance to concrete action - and about the short distances on our planet.

(c) Christof Krackhardt/Brot für die Welt

Together and resourceful against worldwide hunger

A contribution by Brot für die Welt

Climate change disturbs the climate in Ethiopia. The answer from small farmers in the northern region is convincing: diversify!

No rainforest for our consumption

A contribution by Jenny Walther-Thoß (WWF)

In the tropics rainforests are still being felled for the production of palm oil, meat and furniture. It is high time to act. Proposals are on the table.

What do you expect from this Pre Summit, Mr. Haddad?

Interview with Lawrence Haddad (GAIN)

Nutrition experts from all over the world are coming together in Rome. They are not only distilling 2000 ideas to improve food systems - they are also preparing for the big UN summit in New York in September. An interview.

Mr. Campari, how do we create sustainable food systems?

Interview with Joao Campari (WWF)

Journalist Jan Rübel spoke with Joao Campari ahead of the UNFSS Pre-Summit. The Chair of Action Track 3 highlights key challenges in transforming existing food systems towards sustainable production and shares his expectations for the Summit.

Sustainable Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture in Rural Areas

Fish is important for combating malnutrition and undernourishment. But it is not only notable for its nutritional value, but also secures the livelihoods and employment for 600 million people worldwide.

A Project of GIZ

A Climate of Hunger: How the Climate Crisis Fuels the Hunger

A photo reportage by the Zeitenspiegel agency

Every one degree Celsius rise in temperature increases the risk of conflict by two to ten percent. The climate crisis is a humanitarian crisis, as the photos by Christoph Püschner and Frank Schultze illustrate.

Engaging the Community to Solve the Bushmeat Crisis

A Contribution by the Forestry Research Institute Nigeria

The 'Domestication of Small Monogastric and Ruminant Animals' (DSMR) project led by a Nigerian research institute works with local communities to solve the bushmeat crisis.

‘Preserving and restoring fertile soils is a global responsibility.’

An Interview with Jochen Flasbarth (BMZ)

Healthy, productive soils are a prerequisite for global food security – one of the priorities of German development cooperation. State Secretary Jochen Flasbarth on Germany’s efforts to support sustainable land management and why the VGGT are more important than ever today.

Strengthening food markets across the rural-urban continuum

A Contribution by Thomas Forster

How to maintain functioning food markets in global food supply chains in the face of vulnerability and disruption? Markets that support local and territorial food systems are part of the solution. Thomas Forster presents proposals for these markets to cope with future shocks.

The fight against illegal fishing

A Report

The oceans are important for our food supply, but they are overfished. To halt this trend the global community is now taking action against illegal fishing. Journalist Jan Rübel spoke with Francesco Marí, a specialist for world food, agricultural trade and maritime policy at "Brot für die Welt," and others.

Water may offer the only chance

Interview with Caroline Milow and Ramon Brentführer

Groundwater resources remain dormant in the soil of African regions. Where does it make sense to use them – and where does overexploitation of nature begin? Caroline Milow (GIZ) and Ramon Brentführer (BGR) talk about potentials in the future and lessons from the past.

Sowing change

A Contribution by Brot für die Welt

Roughly 800 million people suffer from hunger worldwide. Change is needed - for people and for the environment. Brot für die Welt reports on the starting points offered by everyone's ecological footprint and handprint.

Circular Economy: From Innovation to Upscaling

A Contribution by the Project RUNRES

Recycling organic waste into soil amendments and animal feed through a transdisciplinary approach – this is what the RUNRES project, launched in four sub-Saharan African countries four years ago, seeks to achieve. Three of the project's scientists report.

From the perennial to the catwalk – banana silk as an alternative

A Contribution by Paul Kadjo

The textile industry contributes significantly to environmental pollution as it produces over 100 billion garments every year, resulting in huge CO2 emissions and water consumption. Fashion designer Paul Kadjo uses banana silk as an environmentally friendly alternative to make textile production more environmentally conscious and socially just.

The untapped potential of protein diversification

A Contribution by Ivo Rzegotta

Diversifying our protein supply to include plant-based foods and cultivated meat can be a game-changer for climate mitigation and climate adaptation, especially in the countries of the Global South. However, a great deal of research is still required to capitalise on this potential. And political support, as Ivo Rzegotta, Good Food Institute, demonstrates.

How a Tea adds to Forest Conservation and Food Security

A Contribution by Wallace Gichunge

The Nyayo Tea Zones Development Corporation is committed to the preservation of forests in Kenya: The establishment of so-called buffer zones counteracts deforestation by planting trees and tea. In addition to the production of environmentally friendly tea, the project benefits the resources of the forests and the livelihoods of the communities living near the forests, says project manager Wallace Gichunge.

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„You must be multisectoral in your thinking”

By Jan Rübel

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