Sustainable Land Management and Climate Change Adaptation for Small-Scale Land Users in Sub-Saharan Africa
Land is both a source and a sink of carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>), the chief greenhouse gas. Through sustainable land management (SLM), it can capture extra CO<sub>2</sub> and store it as carbon in vegetation and soil. SLM can also reduce CO<sub>2</sub> emission...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Land |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/6/1206 |
| _version_ | 1797593895099432960 |
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| author | William Critchley Nicole Harari Eefke Mollee Rima Mekdaschi-Studer Joana Eichenberger |
| author_facet | William Critchley Nicole Harari Eefke Mollee Rima Mekdaschi-Studer Joana Eichenberger |
| author_sort | William Critchley |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Land is both a source and a sink of carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>), the chief greenhouse gas. Through sustainable land management (SLM), it can capture extra CO<sub>2</sub> and store it as carbon in vegetation and soil. SLM can also reduce CO<sub>2</sub> emissions from the land. Thus, SLM is viewed as the key land-based solution for climate change mitigation. Yet, SLM also provides effective climate change (CC) adaptation practices—such as agroforestry, mulching and water harvesting—which confer resilience, and simultaneously help secure production. This is especially valuable for land users in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) who depend on rainfed agriculture. They are amongst the poorest on Earth and the most vulnerable to CC impacts, despite their minimal carbon footprint. The World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies (WOCAT) manages the Global SLM Database: this holds a rich and ever-growing collection of SLM practices. Analysis of the database for rainfed SSA sheds light on which SLM technologies are effective in CC adaptation, and how well they cope with changing rainfall and temperature. Both “mechanisms” and “attributes” are explored, yielding new insights. This perspective paper showcases current developments in the field, and summarizes future directions for SLM as a CC adaptation solution for land users in SSA. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T02:15:59Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fbd875c540594f2fa290caf2725be938 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-445X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T02:15:59Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Land |
| spelling | doaj.art-fbd875c540594f2fa290caf2725be9382023-11-18T11:14:18ZengMDPI AGLand2073-445X2023-06-01126120610.3390/land12061206Sustainable Land Management and Climate Change Adaptation for Small-Scale Land Users in Sub-Saharan AfricaWilliam Critchley0Nicole Harari1Eefke Mollee2Rima Mekdaschi-Studer3Joana Eichenberger4World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies (WOCAT), Sustainable Land Management Associates, Ltd., Pitlochry PH165EW, UKWOCAT, Centre for Development and Environment, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, SwitzerlandSchool of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor LL572DG, UKWOCAT, Centre for Development and Environment, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, SwitzerlandWOCAT, Centre for Development and Environment, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, SwitzerlandLand is both a source and a sink of carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>), the chief greenhouse gas. Through sustainable land management (SLM), it can capture extra CO<sub>2</sub> and store it as carbon in vegetation and soil. SLM can also reduce CO<sub>2</sub> emissions from the land. Thus, SLM is viewed as the key land-based solution for climate change mitigation. Yet, SLM also provides effective climate change (CC) adaptation practices—such as agroforestry, mulching and water harvesting—which confer resilience, and simultaneously help secure production. This is especially valuable for land users in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) who depend on rainfed agriculture. They are amongst the poorest on Earth and the most vulnerable to CC impacts, despite their minimal carbon footprint. The World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies (WOCAT) manages the Global SLM Database: this holds a rich and ever-growing collection of SLM practices. Analysis of the database for rainfed SSA sheds light on which SLM technologies are effective in CC adaptation, and how well they cope with changing rainfall and temperature. Both “mechanisms” and “attributes” are explored, yielding new insights. This perspective paper showcases current developments in the field, and summarizes future directions for SLM as a CC adaptation solution for land users in SSA.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/6/1206sustainable land managementclimate change adaptationclimate change mitigationsub-Saharan AfricaGlobal SLM Database |
| spellingShingle | William Critchley Nicole Harari Eefke Mollee Rima Mekdaschi-Studer Joana Eichenberger Sustainable Land Management and Climate Change Adaptation for Small-Scale Land Users in Sub-Saharan Africa Land sustainable land management climate change adaptation climate change mitigation sub-Saharan Africa Global SLM Database |
| title | Sustainable Land Management and Climate Change Adaptation for Small-Scale Land Users in Sub-Saharan Africa |
| title_full | Sustainable Land Management and Climate Change Adaptation for Small-Scale Land Users in Sub-Saharan Africa |
| title_fullStr | Sustainable Land Management and Climate Change Adaptation for Small-Scale Land Users in Sub-Saharan Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sustainable Land Management and Climate Change Adaptation for Small-Scale Land Users in Sub-Saharan Africa |
| title_short | Sustainable Land Management and Climate Change Adaptation for Small-Scale Land Users in Sub-Saharan Africa |
| title_sort | sustainable land management and climate change adaptation for small scale land users in sub saharan africa |
| topic | sustainable land management climate change adaptation climate change mitigation sub-Saharan Africa Global SLM Database |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/6/1206 |
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