Highlights and images for 28 May 2019

Kenya

Summary

Highlights for Tuesday, 28 May 2019

Group discussions from the dimension workshop on Land Governance

On the second day of Global Soil Week (GSW) 2019 - and final day of the technical segment - discussions focused on synthesizing insights from more than 20 country case studies discussed on the previous day. Gathering in four parallel “Dimension Workshops,” participants identified broader lessons and strategies for achieving an enabling environment for sustainable and climate resilient agriculture, clustered around the thematic strands: land governance; extension and advisory services; local governance and cooperation models; and finance and markets.



In the workshop on land governance, participants underscored that guaranteeing women’s access to and ownership of land and other productive resources is a critical “enabler” for sustainable land management. The group further noted that securing land tenure rights not only requires building advocacy movements on land rights from the ground up, but also following through to ensure that gains are formalized into legislative frameworks and subsequently enforced.



Among numerous lessons highlighted in the workshop on extension and advisory services, participants emphasized the need to “localize” the delivery of extension services, for example through the active involvement of farmer-to-farmer knowledge sharing, research, and innovation. Discussing strategies for upscaling promising approaches, they stressed the need to integrate extension systems into national and sub-national development plans, with a dedicated budget to facilitate implementation.



The discussions on local governance identified various strategies for strengthening inclusive governance structures, including through: pooling of resources by communities via collective funds; exploring alternative governance structures to involve civil society organizations and other stakeholders; and providing space for local innovators.



During the session on finance and markets, participants outlined diverse strategies for fostering access to sustainable finance, including through collaborative mechanisms such as farmers’ cooperatives and communal models for benefit sharing. On markets, the group noted the importance of developing sustainable value chains and nurturing niche markets that favor sustainably produced agricultural products.



During a wrap up plenary session, GSW 2019 Co-Facilitator Alexander Müller, Töpfer, Müller, Gaßner — Think Tank for Sustainability (TMG Research) remarked that "projects never fail but projects never scale.” He noted that by exploring an enabling environment for responsible land governance, the conference is digging deeper into how to “do projects differently” so as to bridge the huge gap that exists between the Sustainable Development Goals and action on the ground.



Closing the technical segment, Alice Kaudia remarked that the two days of discussions had generated important knowledge and take-home messages. She encouraged the leaders arriving for the High-Level Segment to pick up on these insights and apply them by creating an enabling environment in their countries.

BMZ - GIZ - GSW 2019 - TMG

IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage from GSW 2019. In addition, IISD Reporting Services has published a summary report from the meeting, which is available in HTML and PDF.

Photos by IISD/ENB | Francis Dejon

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Co-Facilitator Alice Kaudia, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Eco-Entrepreneurs Ltd.
Luwayo Biswick, Permaculture Paradise Institute
Paul Okongo, a farmer from Kenya
Janardhan Pawar, Watershed Organisation Trust
Bird's eye view of the GSW 2019 plenary
L-R: Flora Ajwera, GIZ; John Agboola, Young Professionals for Agricultural Development, Nigeria; Anneke Trux, GIZ; and Anna Kramer, TMG Research
Flora Ajwera, GIZ
John Agboola, Young Professionals for Agricultural Development, Nigeria
GSW 2019 Co-Facilitator Alexander Müller
Anna Kramer, TMG Research
Co-Facilitator Müller explains the structure of the thematic discussions.
Dimension Workshops


Finance and Markets
Olivia Riemer, TMG Research and Alexander Erlewein, GIZ, discussion group moderators for the workshop on finance and markets
Maximiliano Cortes Sotomayor, TMG Research, discussion group moderator
Extension Services
Boniface Kiteme, Centre for Training and Integrated Research in ASAL Development (CETRAD), (far right) moderated the workshop on extension services
Navin Vivek Horo, GIZ
Gustave Dieudonné Dagbenonbakin, National Institute of Agricultural Research, Benin
Local Governance and Cooperation Models
Bruno St-Jacques, TMG Research, moderator for the workshop on local governance and cooperation models
Lova Darsot, Madagascar
Ibrahima Coulibaly, Reseau des organisations paysannes et des producteurs agricole, Mali
Julien Noël Rakotoarisoa, Madagascar
Joary Niaina Andriamiharimanana, Madagascar
Land Governance
Participants discussing elements of enabling environments at the workshop on land governance
Jael Omunyang'oli, CETRAD
Mieke Bourne, World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF)
Larissa Stiem-Bhatia, TMG Research, and Seydou Koudougou, Groupe de recherche et d'action sur le foncier (GRAF)
Closing of the Technical Segment
Participants took a break from discussions to engage in a an "energizer" dance
L-R: Rhoda Birech, Limbua Foundation; Maria El Fassi, TMG Research; and Shri E. Srinivas, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, India
Co-Facilitator Müller, delivering his closing remarks
Jes Weigelt, TMG Research
Co-Facilitator Kaudia, closed the meeting
GSW 2019 technical segment participants