Problem

Land degradation is rampant in Africa, affecting 46% of all lands and 65% of farmland, largely due to unsustainable farming and grazing practices. This degradation not only threatens agricultural productivity but also drives climate change by releasing soil carbon and nitrous oxide into the atmosphere, contributing nearly a quarter of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, forestry, and land use.

Degradation of soil health causes significant impact to the communities, particularly considering 60% of Africa’s population depend on their land for food and sources of livelihood. Farmers are struggling with reduced crop yields, which further decreases their income and increases malnutrition. Meanwhile, erosion is polluting rivers and biodiversity is being lost at unprecedented rates, with climate change accelerating all these impacts. While land restoration is possible and can improve resilience, current local efforts are limited in scale and reach due to resource constraints. 

Responses

Restore Local, part of the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR100) and The Audacious Project’s 2023 cohort, seeks to addresse Africa's critical land degradation challenges by empowering local “Restoration Champions”– businesses and nonprofits empowering local farmers and communities to plant trees. 

This locally-led approach has reportedly proven to produce significant results in achieving long-term restoration goals while benefiting farming communities. By supporting restoration efforts in key areas such as the Lake Kivu and Rusizi River Basin, Kenya’s Great Rift Valley, and Ghana’s Cocoa Belt, with capacity building, financial support, and policy advocacy, over 600,000 smallholder farmers are reportedly gaining access to resources and knowledge on regenerative farming techniques, enabling them to restore their lands sustainably. These efforts are seeking to contribute to healthier soils, restored carbon sinks, improved crop yields, and diversified income streams, while directly addressing food insecurity and land degradation issues. Partnerships with organizations like WRI and TerraFund seek to further amplify these benefits by building infrastructure for scalable restoration across Africa, creating an African-led movement towards sustainable land management and economic growth.

Find out more: Audacious Project