Victor Uzoho
A new study by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), has revealed that for every $1 investment made to halt land degradation across Africa, investors can expect an average return of $1.2, with outcomes ranging between $1.1 and $4.4.
The study obtained by Sustainable Economy shows that the United Nations (UN) agency’s Great Green Wall (GGW) programme to combat desertification in the continent’s Sahel region is not only crucial to the battle against climate change but also makes commercial sense for investors.
Analysis from the study, titled: “Economic efficiency and targeting of the African Great Green Wall,” released on Tuesday, shows that greening and land restoration along the Sahel region stretching 8,000 km across the continent is already underway.
“Communities are planting resilient and hardy tree species such as the Acacia Senegal, providing gum arabic, widely used as an emulsifier in food and drinks and the Gao tree of Faidherbia albida, which helps to fertilise the soil for the cultivation of such staples as millet, and for animal fodder.
“With technical support from FAO, more than 500 communities have seen improved food security and income generation opportunities. The total area the GGW programme encompasses remains limited, with only 4 million hectares out of a targeted 100 million,” the study stated.
Speaking on the study, the International Projects Coordinator at FAO’s Forestry Division and a lead author, Moctar Sacande, said Africa needs to change the rhetoric about the Sahel region, to reflect the fact that despite its harsh and dry environment, “investors can get a viable return on their investment in efforts to restore the land.”
She noted that the study provides the final piece of economic transparency, with the political will and technical know-how already in place, which should encourage the private sector now showing increased interest.
Scaling impact
Meanwhile, the study said a total of $20 billion has been pledged internationally to support the scaling of the GGW programme, including the $14.3 billion at a One Planet Summit for Biodiversity, held in Paris, France, in January this year, and $1 billion from Amazon Founder, Jeff Bezos, at the just-concluded COP26 Climate Conference.
However, Sacande noted that concrete details of how these funds can be accessed are yet to be mapped out, adding that unless some of the funding is delivered urgently, it could be too late for planting to catch the limited rainfall expected.
“At most, ten years are needed for land restoration activities to break even from the social perspective, accounting for both market-priced and non-market ecosystem benefits.
“To fund all proposed land restoration activities, an investment of $44 billion is needed under the base scenario ($18–70 billion across scenarios). Violent conflicts in the Sahel are estimated to reduce the accessibility to these degraded ecosystems from 27.9 million hectares to 14.1 million hectares.
“The study highlights activities and locations where land restoration is both economically attractive and ecologically sustainable, even after accounting for lower survival rates of planted trees and grasses, the persistence of land degradation drivers and the growing number of violent conflicts hindering land restoration in the Sahel,” the study stated further.
Also, the authors of the study argued that the armed conflicts pervading the region have long made some wary about its potential, adding that about 50% of the land area involved is currently inaccessible for security reasons.
Despite its harsh and dry environment, investors can get a viable return on their investment in efforts to restore the land.
Good business
This notwithstanding, the authors maintained that land restoration interventions in the region still represent a viable business proposition.
Meanwhile, with its potential for carbon sequestration and restoring biodiversity, and its emphasis on the socio-economic benefits to the impoverished communities inhabiting the region, the GGW straddles the key areas of climate mitigation, adaptation and resilience.
It also addresses Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1 (No poverty), 2 (No hunger), 13 (Climate action), 15 (Life on land) and 17 (Partnerships)) in the UN’s Agenda 2030.
Africa’s GGW programme is a colossal initiative to restore 100 million hectares of degraded ecosystems across 11 countries in the region, which started in 2007, and to also promote sustainable development and climate change mitigation.
The GGW was initiated to combat land degradation in the Sahel that threatens livelihoods and food security. The programme seeks to help restore degraded land at scale and sustainably manage fragile ecosystems.
The programme works to strengthen local capacities and establish monitoring and evaluation systems tracking progress and impact while sharing information and promoting south-south cooperation to leverage lessons learnt.
