GCRF: Social and Environmental Trade-offs in African Agriculture

This proposal addresses the challenge of achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 (zero hunger), SDG 10 (reduced inequalities), and SDG 15 (ecosystem conservation) in Sub-Saharan Africa. Conflicts and trade-offs between these goals are rapidly intensifying because of ongoing population growth and economic development, while decision makers in government and the private sector continue to base their actions on an insufficient understanding of possible socio-economic and environmental impacts of different agricultural development pathways. The proposed programme aims to enhance the capacity of UK and African organisations to investigate these impacts and trade-offs through a participatory process that combines state-of-the-art research with effective engagement with research users. Its vision is for key government and private sector actors to adjust their policies, strategies and investments to take more account of the impacts, risks and trade-offs within and between socio-economic and environmental dimensions of different agricultural development pathways, and for civil society organisations to have a greater role in shaping the national discourse on agricultural development.

The research process will involve a context analysis of each country as a whole, followed by analyses to determine: (i) drivers of current agricultural landscapes, (ii) impacts of different agricultural development pathways on socio-economic factors, biodiversity and the capacity of ecosystems to provide services to people over the long term, (iii) the role of institutions and policies in shaping agricultural systems; and (iv) the political and economic barriers to more joined-up policy and planning. This will inform the building, with key stakeholders, of scenarios for agriculture and land use change, taking into account climate change, predicted rates of human population growth and urbanization, and ultimately leading to an improved understanding of the impacts, risks and trade-offs of different agricultural developmental scenarios. The programme will support stakeholders in 'making sense' of, and using, the refined scenarios to inform policies, investments and advocacy at sub-national and national level.

Our interdisciplinary research process will be accompanied by activities to assess and develop both the technical and 'process oriented' capacities of participating researchers and stakeholders (policy-makers, investors, civil society actors / NGOs), with the aim of strengthening their ability to co-develop relevant research and to assess and use the outcomes for decision making and advocacy. New partnerships will be developed between researchers in Africa and the UK, between different disciplines, and between different stakeholder groups in the three countries via National Learning Alliances.

The ultimate beneficiaries of this process will be poor rural and urban households who would benefit from more coherent policies supporting the long-term sustainability and resilience of farming systems and local ecosystems. These make up a large proportion of the human population in sub-Saharan Africa and include (a) the poor in rural areas whose food security is based on subsistence agriculture and using income from agricultural labour and cash crops to purchase food to cover gaps, and (b) poor rural and urban populations who produce little or no food themselves, but who are highly dependent on food purchase and thus exposed to food price risk resulting from failure to balance food supply and demand.

This Programme targets a challenge that lies at the heart of sustainable development in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) - how agriculture should develop to achieve food security in the context of rapidly growing demand for food (150% by 2050), while at the same time safeguarding key ecosystem services and avoiding contributing to growing inequalities in society. Current agricultural development strategies are poorly informed, particularly in light of projected regional changes in climate - contributing to increasing inequalities and potentially further marginalisation of those who depend on agriculture for a living.

To address this challenge, the Programme will engage closely with stakeholders to better understand the impacts, risks and trade-offs within and between social, economic and environmental dimensions of different agricultural development pathways. We expect the three objectives of this Programme (enhanced knowledge, relationships and research capacity) to result in better informed and better connected government actors, civil society organisations, private sector actors and research organisations - and ultimately in better-informed agricultural policies, strategies and investment decisions. All four groups of actors will benefit from participation in the National Learning Alliances (NLAs), which will provide them with direct linkages to other stakeholder groups on whom they depend for funding, evidence, advocacy or investment.

The proposed activities are designed to bring about a lasting change of how choices about agricultural policies and investments are made and implemented by forging a new network of relationships between researchers and research users. This should lead to better management of the competition and conflicts between food security, environmental protection and social justice goals of agricultural development in SSA.

Ultimately the primary beneficiaries of this Programme will be poor and vulnerable people who depend on functioning ecosystem services for resilient and productive agricultural systems that can support their food security, livelihoods and well-being. These include (a) the poor in rural areas, whose food security is based on subsistence agriculture and using income from agricultural labour and cash crops to purchase food to cover gaps, and (b) poor rural and urban populations who produce little or no food themselves, but who are highly dependent on food purchases and thus exposed to food price fluctuations.

Both groups are affected by both "on-site" and "off-site" environmental impacts. "On-site" (within the agro-ecosystem itself) concerns in particular degradation of soils and loss of agrobiodiversity due to progressive narrowing of the crop genetic base, contributing to loss of resilience of the system in the long-term - which affects in particular poorer farmers. "Off-site" environmental impact of agriculture concerns its expansion into forests and woodlands, with major implications for local, national and global interests in biodiversity and ecosystem services - again particularly important for poorer household. The Programme will raise awareness about these impacts.

In all of the above, and particularly the environmental impacts, the spatial dimension is crucial. Risks and trade-offs must be managed not only at an aggregate level but also with spatial differentiation that enables trade-offs to be managed within and between different parts of the country, and thus more effectively, efficiently and equitably balance the three dimensions of national sustainable development.