CIFOR-ICRAF

Drylands support over 2 billion people globally and are vital for food security in Africa and Asia. Yet, challenges like water scarcity, erosion, and salinization threaten their productivity. Join our session at #COP16 to explore strategies for: • Enhancing soil resilience • Improving water retention • Developing soil health indicators for drylands 🔗Save the date: https://bit.ly/3VKxLs7 #SoilHealth #Trees4Resilience

Soil supports life, yet over a third of it is degraded. Join our session at #COP16 to explore how monitoring tools, citizen science, and innovative partnerships are transforming restoration efforts. 🗓: 5 Dec | 11:00 AM 📍 Location: Food and Agriculture Pavilion Learn more: https://bit.ly/4fUKMHi #Trees4Resilience #COP16Riyadh

CIFOR-ICRAF at #COP16Riyadh Today, CIFOR-ICRAF brought insights, innovation, and impact to the forefront during a packed agenda at COP16 Riyadh. Here’s a recap of the highlights: 🔬 Advancements in Soil Health and Land Restoration Monitoring Moderated by Leigh Winowiecki, this session explored cutting-edge tools for monitoring soil health. Tor-Gunnar Vågen showcased the Land Degradation Surveillance Framework (LDSF)—a practical, cost-effective approach to evaluating land and ecosystem health—and highlighted how the CIFOR-ICRAF Soil and Land Health theme is driving innovation using soil spectroscopy, remote sensing, and machine learning to assess soil health at scale. These advancements are helping to combat land degradation and inform global restoration efforts. 🌱 Launch of Regreening Africa Phase 2 At this event, CIFOR-ICRAF's Eliane Ubalijoro, Salina Abraham, and Christine Magaju shared strategies to scale up land restoration in Africa and beyond. The Regreening Africa programme, recognized as a World Restoration Flagship, has already impacted 500,000 households, improving livelihoods, food security, and resilience. 💧 Tackling Water Scarcity and Drought At the CGIAR pavilion, Ermias Aynekulu Betemariam discussed actionable pathways for resilient agri-food systems. "Effective governance and policy harmonization are essential. We must also align efforts across #climate, #biodiversity, and land," he said, highlighting the need for integrated solutions. 🤝 Uniting Africa and Asia for Land Restoration In the Green Zone, Éliane Ubalijoro, Leigh Winowiecki, and Ermias Betemariam joined the Global EverGreening Alliance for a session that brought together speakers to discuss Asian and African experiences in landscape ecosystem restoration, including challenges, opportunities, and South-South and North-South cooperation for capacity building, policy support, and resource mobilization. 🌍 Land Restoration Moonshot Here Leigh Winowiecki shared the Regreening Africa story, highlighting the profound impact of the initiative in its first phase. CIFOR-ICRAF will be in Riyadh throughout the conference, showcasing our work on land restoration and soil health. Be sure to check out our agenda to bookmark our sessions: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/daYeS3xB #Trees4Resilience #SoilHealth #LandRestoration

📣Happening tomorrow! Learn how #agroforestry can drive food security, restore degraded lands, and support resilient livelihoods, especially in drylands. 📅 Date: 5 December 🕒 Time: 11:00 AM – 12:20 PM 📍#COP16Riyadh, MET-03, Blue Zone Featuring insights from experts, success stories from local communities, and a special MoU signing ceremony. Join us. Session details: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dY8d2r-F Eliane Ubalijoro | Ravi Prabhu | المركز الوطني لتنمية الغطاء النباتي ومكافحة التصحر NCVC | #Trees4Resilience

Regreening Africa Phase II Launched at UNCCD COP16 🎉 Today marked the official launch of Regreening Africa Phase II, extending this initiative to 2029. The event was graced by: ▪️Eliane Ubalijoro, CEO, CIFOR-ICRAF ▪️H.E. Khadija Mohamed Al-Makhzoumi, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Somalia ▪️H.E. Christophe Farnaud, Ambassador of the European Union to Saudi Arabia ▪️H.E. Daouda Ngom, Minister of Environment and Ecological Transition, Senegal Supported by the European Union and implemented by CIFOR-ICRAF and key partners, Regreening Africa has already reached over 600,000 households, restored 350,000 hectares across eight countries, and earned recognition as a World Restoration Flagship under the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. In Phase II, we aim to support 200,000 smallholder farming and pastoral households to adopt profitable regreening practices, strengthen rural enterprises, and enhance resilience in Africa’s drylands. Learn about this initiative: ➡️ https://lnkd.in/dqczptuF #Trees4Resilience #COP16Riyadh World Vision | CARE | Catholic Relief Services | Sahel Eco | Oxfam | Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH

The Spatial Data Science and Applied Learning Lab (SPACIAL) at CIFOR-ICRAF uses satellite imagery to assess forest cover, track deforestation and measure the effectiveness of restoration efforts. It is also key in informing and identifying land suitable for restoration. Learn how it works: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/duH-tyBS Tor-Gunnar Vågen | #Trees4Resilience | #COP16Riyadh

Join CIFOR-ICRAF at #COP16Riyadh. Here’s what’s coming up today: 📌 9:00-10:30 AM Advancements in Soil Health and Land Restoration Monitoring Location: MET-02 Discover innovative tools and techniques, from soil spectroscopy to remote sensing, for tracking restoration impacts. 📌 11:00 AM-12:30 PM The Regreening Africa Approach – Scaling Up and Out Location: MET-07 Learn how successful land restoration models can be scaled to accelerate progress in Africa and beyond. 📌 11:00 AM Tackling Water Scarcity and Drought Location: C15 Pavilion, KINGDOM ARENA Explore solutions for resilient food systems and ecosystem health in a climate-constrained world. 📌 11:50 AM-12:50 PM Land Restoration Moonshot Location: Blue Zone, Action Dome Hear success stories that provide inspiration and guidance for our global race toward restoration goals. 📌 3:30-5:00 PM Land Restoration for and by All Location: Green Zone, Pavilion 1 A dynamic discussion uniting AFR100 and Landscape Partnership Asia to advance restoration and achieve global goals by 2030. 🔗 Check out the full agenda: https://lnkd.in/daYeS3xB #SaveSoil #LandRestoration #Trees4Resilience #COP16

Land Restoration for and by All Join us at #COP16Riyadh for a dialogue uniting Africa's #AFR100 and Asia's Landscape Partnership Asia (LPA) to achieve the UN Decade on Ecosystems Restoration and Global Forest Goals by 2030 📅 Dec 4 | 3:30-5:00 PM 📍 Green Zone, Pavilion 1 More details:🔗 https://bit.ly/49m6sd1 #Trees4Resilience |

Day 1 of CIFOR-ICRAF at UNCCD COP16 brought together experts to discuss "Enhancing Soil Health for Sustainable Land Restoration, Climate Action, and Biodiversity: A Cross-Sectoral Approach." Moderated by CIFOR-ICRAF’s Christine Magaju, the session highlighted soil health as a vital link across climate, desertification, and biodiversity agendas. Highlights from the session: Martina Fleckenstein: "To combat land degradation, we must integrate soil carbon targets, support farmers in adopting nature-positive practices, and promote cross-sector collaboration. Breaking silos is key to effective action." Manyewu Mutamba: "Climate, biodiversity, and land health are deeply interconnected. We must reconcile these efforts to tackle holistic challenges affecting landscapes." Alperen Öztürk: "Young people have the power to drive real change but need access to funding, networks, and opportunities to contribute meaningfully to land and soil health conversations." Praveena Sridhar: "Restoration begins with soil. When we get our soils right, water, food security, and livelihoods naturally fall into place." Join us for more sessions over the coming days as we explore solutions for sustainable land restoration. See our full agenda and upcoming sessions here: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/daYeS3xB #SaveSoil #Trees4Resilience #COP16Riyadh | UN Convention to Combat Desertification | Coalition of Action 4 Soil Health (CA4SH) | AUDA NEPAD | WWF | IASSS - International Association of Student Surgical Societies|

📢 We're launching Regreening Africa Phase II! If you're in Riyadh for #COP16Riyadh, join us this Wednesday as we kick off the next phase of the European Union- funded Regreening Africa, extending our mission until 2029. Learn about low-cost land restoration methods with tangible results from Regreening Africa and beyond. We will also explore the role of policies, rural enterprises, value chains in restoration and job creation, lessons learned, gaps in evidence, and the importance of stakeholder engagement and inclusive decision-making. 📅 Date: 4th Dec ⏰ Time: 11:00 AM–12:30 PM 📌 Location: MET-07 More details: 🔗 https://bit.ly/4geBZjl #Trees4Resilience #RegreenAfrica