MEV-CAM and DSL-IP make progress in Malawi
The "Making Every Voice Count for Adaptive Management" (MEV-CAM) Initiative alters the way South-South knowledge management is approached by using local and indigenous knowledge to restore degraded drylands with more sustainable practices. By empowering communities and stakeholders to demonstrate their skills, express their challenges, and share successes, the most significant impact can be visualized from the process of change itself.
Over the last couple of months, MEV-CAM has made significant progress in Malawi. The country has been a significant actor in the MEV-CAM initiative since 2020, where community members in Ntcheu, one of the districts in Central Malawi and targeted site for the DSL-IP, documented a handful of challenges but also many achievements experienced in their landscape. The community discussed practicing conservation agriculture techniques to improve land water availability and avoid soil erosion that results from undulating topography and gallop formation. Their soil and water conservation practices included the adoption of contour reaching and swales construction to aid in catchment management, and control runoff water as well as soil health. While the community expressed the need to have more sustainable land management practices, they initiated a community forest management system to manage the illegal cutting of trees. The conservation of forests allows community members to build beehives and eventually establish a market of honey production.
The MEV-CAM initiative facilitated another participatory video approach, but this time between the DSL-IP and Resilient Food Systems (RFS) landscapes to determine practices that can be transferred and scaled up. In-country project coordinators and focal persons agreed to use the Theater for Development approach in order to extract the important practices and skills that can be expanded upon throughout the DSL-IP implementation. Theater for Development is an approach that allows community members to act out scenarios that are of most importance for them. In utilizing this technique, community members of the Lingoni Catchment, located in Machinga District illustrated how community forest management systems help avoid the illegal cutting of trees. According to the participatory video, the system has “restored 89 hectares of community forest area through natural regeneration, 150 hectares of agricultural land.” The community demonstrated the importance of trees, which allow members to maintain their own beehives that are used for honey production and selling. Selling the honey also has opened the possibility to establishing a market, which is one of the areas of scaling up as part of the DSL-IP in Ntcheu – a cross-cutting theme. More importantly, the community demonstrated how selling honey enabled them to purchase goats, with which they can sell milk and buy solar panels for sustainable energy production in their homes. The community members continue to share knowledge about an energy saving method of cooking (Chitetezo Mbaula) in order to prevent forest fires – as Amina, one of the community members says, “the wood you use on open fire for one day can be used for two days when you use Chitetezo Mbaula".
The DSL-IP core theme in Malawi will be: Integrated Food and Energy Systems (IFES), which “aim[s] at addressing these issues by simultaneously producing food and energy, as a possible way to achieve the energy component of sustainable crop intensification through the ecosystem approach” and will focus on upscaling market opportunities, strengthening linkages between local producers and large processors through productor organizations, among many others. Community members in both Ntcheu and Machinga Districts have already demonstrated some examples of the practices that can be linked to better markets, with emphasis on techniques for producing sustainable energy and crop production can be further expanded. The MEV-CAM initiative will continue to work with the Project Management Unit, partners, and communities in Malawi to develop capacity building skills and mentor the colleagues as they monitor the change that develops as new practices are adopted. Change occurs gradually and happens at different scales, and with MEV-CAM's knowledge process documentation approach, the impact that takes place at the community level is captured as this change evolves.
Check out more about the Malawi child project's progress in December's DSL-IP at a Glance newsletter.
(c)Patrick Mkwapatira
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02/10/2026
Dryland forests and agrosilvopastoral systems sustain the livelihoods, food security, and resilience of over two billion people, while delivering vital services for biodiversity, climate adaptation, land restoration, and sustainable food systems. Yet their contributions remain overlooked, and investment in their sustainable management and restoration falls critically short. The Call to Action on Dryland Forests sets out a shared agenda to bridge this gap.
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14/08/2026
Agrosilvopastoral systems can contribute to food security, resilient livelihoods, biodiversity, climate adaptation and sustainable land management. Yet they are often reduced to simplified practice, such as grazing under trees or adding trees to livestock and farming landscapes; this brochure examines 12 common misconceptions about agrosilvopastoral systems and explains how evidence, policy and practice can overcome them
Advancing women's leadership in dryland regions through the three Rs: rights, representation and resources
30/10/2024
This WeCaN Nurturing Community of Knowledge Practice for Women policy brief focuses on advancing women's leadership in dryland regions through the three Rs: rights, representation and resources. It includes useful case studies collected from WeCaN members across many dryland areas, showcasing the benefits of strong women leadership on environments and communities.
Applying MEV-CAM tools: participatory video
30/01/2024
The Making Every Voice Count for Adaptive Management (MEV-CAM) toolkit provides process documentation facilitators with instruments for documenting change through participatory video to generate knowledge, monitor impact, and share practices.
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30/11/2023
This document aims to show the impact of good practices on local communities, from their own perspective.
Live fencing in Uganda
30/05/2023
This good practice, focusing on live fencing, comes from local communities in Uganda and provides a guide to restoring local ecosystems and farms through natural fencing methods.
Gabion baskets: A simple solution to a big problem
30/05/2023
This best practice, focusing on gabion baskets, comes from local communities in Malawi and provides a guide to the use of gabion baskets to improve landscape resilience.
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30/05/2023
This best practice, focusing on beekeeping, comes from local communities in Malawi and provides a guide to implementing beekeeping as an alternative livelihood.
Farmer managed natural regeneration in Uganda
30/05/2023
This good practice, focusing on farmer managed natural regeneration, comes from local communities in Uganda and provides a guide to restoring local ecosystems through natural planting methods.
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30/04/2023
This best practice focuses on the use of Theatre for Development with local communities in Malawi.
Regenerative grazing for climate, ecosystem, and human health
30/11/2022
With regenerative grazing management, that is, the right management of livestock and wildlife for the right context, land degradation can be reversed, leading not only to a rapid regain of ecoystem function but to greater revenue for the women, men and youth drawing their livelihoods from these landscapes. This paper explores agroforestry, regenerative grazing management and silvopastoral systems.
Grazing with trees - A silvopastoral approach to managing and restoring drylands with trees: Policy brief
30/11/2022
The Grazing with trees policy brief accompanies the Grazing with Trees publication, giving an overview of the positive role that optimized extensive grazing livestock farming can play in the management and restoration of drylands’ forests and lands. Trees in dryland forests and wooded areas provide key ecosystem services such as animal feed, timber, fruits and, regulation of soil and water cycles.
A turning point for drought management: upscaling the silvopastoral approach
15/11/2022
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Grazing with trees - A silvopastoral approach to managing and restoring drylands
30/09/2022
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Doing no harm while doing good - Climate and conflict sensitivity in dryland humanitarian projects. Policy brief
30/08/2022
The Humanitarian-Development-Peace nexus recognizes conflict as a threat multiplier to climate change and seeks to integrate conflict sensitivity into policies and actions around natural resources. Competition for natural resources in dryland areas often leads to conflict between host communities and displaced people.
Valuing, restoring and managing “presumed drylands”: Cerrado, Miombo–Mopane woodlands and the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau
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Building climate-resilient dryland forests and agrosilvopastoral production systems: An approach for context-dependent economic, social and environmentally sustainable transformations
30/03/2021
With climate change impacts already felt in the world’s drylands, there is an urgent need for action, at various scales and initiated by different stakeholders, to ensure the sustainability of food production and livelihoods in these regions in the coming decades. There is also the need to rapidly establish baselines, assess and start monitoring progress on sustainability, emerging as result of the action taken.
Blooming drylands – a practical approach for context-dependent economic, social and environmentally sustainable transformations
19/03/2021
This policy brief is intended to inform decision-makers of nine transformational actions to sustain dryland production systems under the impact of climate change. It highlights the relevance of the local...
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Trees, forests and land use in drylands - The first global assessment. Full reposrt
05/12/2019
Drylands cover 41 percent of the Earth's land surface. This publication presents the results of the first global assessment of trees, forests and land use in these lands. The assessment...
1/2
2027
5/2
2027
4th Drylands Global School
Kasane (Botswana), 01/02/2027 - 05/02/2027
The fourth Drylands Global School will bring together practitioners, policymakers, researchers, local and traditional knowledge holders and other experts from around the world to strengthen knowledge and capacities on Integrated Fire Management (IFM) in dryland landscapes.
25/8
2026
Drylands at Scale: Lessons from the GEF-7 Dryland Sustainable Landscapes Impact Programme for COP17
Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia), Hybrid Event, 25/08/2026
Organized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with the Government of Mongolia | Partners: Government of Botswana, Kazakhstan, Kenya and Malawi, Global Environment Facility (GEF) and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Fritjof Boerstler presented the main programme-level lessons emerging from five years of GEF-7 DSL-IP implementation a...
24/8
2026
Evidence to Impact: Accelerating Finance for Resilient Dryland Forests and Food Systems - COP 17
Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia), Hybrid Event, 24/08/2026
Co-organized with the Asian Forest Cooperation Organization (AFoCO), the Global Flagship Initiative for Food Security and the Billion Tree Fund
Fritjof Boerstler highlighted FAO’s experience through the GEF-7 Dryland Sustainable Landscapes Impact Program (DSL-IP), stressing that many effective approaches for sustainable forest management, agrosilvopastoral systems, restoration and gree...
19/8
2026
Invasive Species – Call to Action: Science and Evidence - COP 17
Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia), Hybrid Event, 19/08/2026
Houria Djoudi highlighted how invasive species are transforming rangelands and dryland forests, reducing forage and other resources, undermining pastoral livelihoods and ecosystem functions, and increasing vulnerability to drought. She stressed the need for integrated approaches combining prevention, early detection, management and restoration, supported by stronger evidence and coordinated act...
20/8
2026
Dryland Forests, Rangelands and Agrosilvopastoral Systems (DReAMs) Dialogues: building on the Global Exchange for Drought Resilience - COP 17
Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia), Hybrid Event, 20/08/2026
Event Co-Organized by FAO's COFO-WG; Spain; IDRA; UNCCD.
16/8
2026
Global Dialogue on Dryland Forests and Agrosilvopastoral Approaches - COP 17
Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia), 16/08/2026
Co-Organized by: FAO's COFO-WG and DSL-IP; Mongolia Forest Services; UNCCD; IDRA.
The Global Dialogue brought together around 50 participants from countries, science, practice, pastoralist and Indigenous Peoples organizations, and partner institutions in a highly interactive workshop. Participants exchanged successful approaches, identified barriers to scaling, and developed prior...
20/4
2026
23/4
2026
Sustainable Woodfuel Forum 2026
Lusaka (Zambia), 20/04/2026 - 23/04/2026
The four-day Sustainable Woodfuel Forum 2026, hosted by the Government of Zambia in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and in partnership with the World Wildlife Fund and Self Help Africa has provided a regional platform for dialogue on how sustainable woodfuel systems can contribute to energy security, ecosystem resilience and rural development.
22/6
2026
25/6
2026
Global Private Sector Forum on Sustainable Rangelands
Gaborone (Botswana), Hybrid Event, 22/06/2026 - 25/06/2026
More than 120 representatives from governments, pastoralist organizations, producer groups, private companies, financial institutions, research institutions and development partners gathered in Gaborone, Botswana, from 22 to 25 June 2026 for the Global Private Sector Forum on Sustainable Rangelands.
16/8
2026
28/8
2026
FAO Drylands at COP 17
Hybrid Event, 16/08/2026 - 28/08/2026
The seventeenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) will take place in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, from 17 to 28 August 2026 under the theme “Restoring Land. Restoring Hope.” This focus highlights the interconnected challenges of desertification, land degradation and drought, recognizing that restoring land and soil is e...
2/10
2026
Dryland forests for food, nutrition and resilience: launching collective action for change
Hybrid Event, 02/10/2026
This high-level event brought together ministers, senior government representatives, forest stewards and international partners to launch a collective agenda for scaling up action on dryland forests.
12/9
2023
15/9
2023
1st Drylands Summer School
Amman (Jordan), 12/09/2023 - 15/09/2023
The FAO Committee of Forestry Working Group on Dryland Forests and Agrosilvopastoral Systems launched its first summer school, which trained champions on a transformative approach to building resilient drylands and boost dryland planning and work.
12/9
2024
15/9
2024
2nd Drylands Summer School
Nairobi (Kenya), 12/09/2024 - 15/09/2024
The FAO Committee on Forestry Working Group on Dryland Forests and Agrosilvopastoral Systems (COFO WG) is working to build resilient drylands by training experts to create a shared vision and to advocate for transformative dryland policymaking and management. The Drylands School program represents the forefront of this effort through the building-up of community of knowledge and practic...
6/7
2025
10/7
2025
3rd Drylands Summer School
Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia), 06/07/2025 - 10/07/2025
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7/7
2025
10/7
2025
Fourth Session of the COFO Working Group on Dryland Forests and Agrosilvopastoral Systems
Hybrid Event, 07/07/2025 - 10/07/2025
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10/9
2023
13/9
2023
Third Session of the COFO Working Group on Dryland Forests and Agrosilvopastoral Systems
Jordan (Jordan), Hybrid Event, 10/09/2023 - 13/09/2023
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14/12
2022
FTN Webinar: MEV-CAM - an innovative method of upscaling change
14/12/2022
The Forest Technical Network organized a zoom webinar to talk about the MEV-CAM method.
17/11
2021
18/11
2021
Second Session of the COFO WG on Dryland Forests and Agrosilvopastoral Systems - Much more than meets the eye: exploring, strengthening and reviving Drylands
Tanzania (Tanzania), 17/11/2021 - 18/11/2021
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16/7
2019
17/7
2019
Inaugural Session of the COFO Working Group on Dryland Forests and Agrosilvopastoral Systems
Rome (Italy), 16/07/2019 - 17/07/2019
Dryland forests and agrosilvopastoral systems, when well managed, contribute to the food security, livelihoods and resilience of millions of people as well as to sustainable landscapes. To understand and tackle the problems behind the loss and degradation of agrosilvopastoral systems and dryland forests in drylands, and to better support these systems, FAO was asked to set up a