The Project Goal is to adopt an integrated ecosystems approach for the management of land resources in the Kagera Basin that will generate local, national and global benefits including: restoration of degraded lands, carbon sequestration and climate change adaptation and mitigation, protection of international waters, agro-biodiversity conservation and sustainable use and improved agricultural production, leading to increased food security and improved rural livelihoods.

The Challenge: The agro-ecosystems in the region are facing increasing pressures as a result of rapid population growth, agricultural and livestock intensification characterised by progressive reduction in farm sizes, and unsustainable land use and management practices. The basin’s land and freshwater resource base, associated biodiversity and populations whose livelihoods and food security depend on those resources, are threatened by land degradation, declining productive capacity of croplands and rangelands, deforestation and encroachment of agriculture into wetlands. Climate change and variability aggravates these threats.

To address these problems, it is necessary to work with all actors at all levels because the adoption of improved practices for the management of soil, water, vegetation and the diverse ecosystems cannot be made without putting in place a suitable institutional and policy framework, including processes for planning, organization and decision making at community, district/provincial and regional / transboundary levels.