Sustainable Land Management and Climate Change Adaptation for Small-Scale Land Users in Sub-Saharan Africa

William Critchley (), Nicole Harari (), Eefke Mollee, Rima Mekdaschi-Studer and Joana Eichenberger
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William Critchley: World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies (WOCAT), Sustainable Land Management Associates, Ltd., Pitlochry PH165EW, UK
Nicole Harari: WOCAT, Centre for Development and Environment, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
Eefke Mollee: School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor LL572DG, UK
Rima Mekdaschi-Studer: WOCAT, Centre for Development and Environment, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
Joana Eichenberger: WOCAT, Centre for Development and Environment, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland

Land, 2023, vol. 12, issue 6, 1-27

Abstract: Land is both a source and a sink of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), the chief greenhouse gas. Through sustainable land management (SLM), it can capture extra CO 2 and store it as carbon in vegetation and soil. SLM can also reduce CO 2 emissions from the land. Thus, SLM is viewed as the key land-based solution for climate change mitigation. Yet, SLM also provides effective climate change (CC) adaptation practices—such as agroforestry, mulching and water harvesting—which confer resilience, and simultaneously help secure production. This is especially valuable for land users in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) who depend on rainfed agriculture. They are amongst the poorest on Earth and the most vulnerable to CC impacts, despite their minimal carbon footprint. The World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies (WOCAT) manages the Global SLM Database: this holds a rich and ever-growing collection of SLM practices. Analysis of the database for rainfed SSA sheds light on which SLM technologies are effective in CC adaptation, and how well they cope with changing rainfall and temperature. Both “mechanisms” and “attributes” are explored, yielding new insights. This perspective paper showcases current developments in the field, and summarizes future directions for SLM as a CC adaptation solution for land users in SSA.

Keywords: sustainable land management; climate change adaptation; climate change mitigation; sub-Saharan Africa; Global SLM Database (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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