Nature-Positive Food Systems for Climate Change Adaptation

The project aims to improve low-carbon climate-resilient economies in rural areas of Ethiopia Kenya Mozambique and Zimbabwe for the enhanced well-being of communities especially women girls and other vulnerable groups. The project contributes to the scale-up of nature-positive food systems for enhanced climate change adaptation within a representative set of Afromontane and sub-Afromontane ecosystems across sub-Saharan Africa. The project aims to reduce climate change vulnerability by acting on socio-ecological systems’ abilities to cope by promoting resilient livelihoods based on the sustainable use of biodiversity and by increasing the decision-making and leadership of women and other vulnerable people. Project activities include: (1) facilitate smallholder farmer experimentation with nature-based solutions through extension services; (2) promote sustainable use of energy sources for improved livelihoods; and (3) develop and implement gender-responsive capacity development strategies for decision-making and access to and control of resources for women girls and other vulnerable groups. The project partners – Adventist Development and Relief Agency Canada Canadian Baptist Ministries Canadian Lutheran World Relief Emergency Relief and Development Association Mennonite Central Committee Canada Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund Tearfund Canada United Church of Canada and World Renew Canada – jointly planned the project. The project directly targets 75 000 beneficiaries (50 % women and 50% men). Effectively delivering at the landscape level requires engagement with Canadian Foodgrains Bank partners at the local technical and governmental levels.

The expected outcomes of this project include: (1) enhanced adoption of gender-responsive nature-based solutions in targeted landscapes especially by women girls and vulnerable groups for improved biodiversity and climate change adaptation; (2) enhanced climate-resilient livelihoods in targeted landscapes based on the sustainable use of biodiversity for women girls and other vulnerable groups; and (3) increased decision-making and leadership of women and other vulnerable people in the community and landscape-level governance systems for improved biodiversity and climate change adaptation.