The Regional Private Sector Matchmaking Expo brought together innovators, financial institutions, and producer organizations to accelerate green investment at scale. 

Shared data, aligned geographies and coordinated FAO programmes are helping scale up forest landscape restoration across Ntcheu, Balaka and Mangochi.

Government experts in Botswana are applying project-supported technology to strengthen national fire monitoring and reporting.

The Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) – World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies (WOCAT) organized a two-session virtual training on 4-5 March, focusing on the application of the Land Degradation Assessment in Drylands (LADA) methodology and the use of Land Productivity Dynamics (LPD) datasets for monitoring land degradation and LDN. 

Under the Miombo-Mopane Landscape project of the Dryland Sustainable Landscapes Impact Program (DSL-IP), Botswana has embraced a “One Government Approach” to strengthen collaboration across departments and reduce fragmentation at community level. 

The Government of Malawi, in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and with financial support from the Government of Norway, has launched a groundbreaking initiative to strengthen the country’s resilience to climate change through improved monitoring, evaluation and learning for Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA).

On 12 February 2026, the Dryland Sustainable Landscapes Impact Program (DSL-IP) Global Coordination Project (GCP) convened a dedicated technical session of the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Working Group focused on GEF-7 Core Indicators 3 (Area of Land Restored) and 4 (Area of Landscapes Under Improved Practices).

In this episode of Stories from the Field we hear the story of of Agnes Libanda, a pigeon pea farmer from Malawi, and her experience with the integrated food and energy system with legumes, and how it has strengthened her livelihood.

In partnership with the Namibia Ministry of Agriculture Water and Land Reform’s Department of Rural Water Supply, the DSL-IP project has provided technical support to rehabilitate earth dams and boreholes across the Kunene-Cuvelai Landscape, with the primary goal of ensuring water availability for both human consumption and livestock. 

Woodfuel – especially charcoal – powers the lives of millions across Sub-Saharan Africa, but at an increasing cost. This cost is particularly severe in Southern Africa, where rising demand and inefficient practices are placing forests and ecosystems under unprecedented pressure, while outdated technologies continue to jeopardize health and livelihoods.

The International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) has published a new research report that offers practical insights and tools to help FFPOs improve their governance systems.

The Africa Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies (AfriOCAT) was officially launched on 23 October 2025 in Addis Ababa – with the participation of DSL-IP representatives from Burkina Faso and Kenya.

Restoring degraded land and strengthening community resilience in Namibia is essential, as the country’s economy, food security, and rural livelihoods depend heavily on the health of its natural resources.

As the world intensifies efforts to address the climate crisis, one truth stands out: women, especially those from climate-vulnerable regions, must be central to decision-making processes. 

Within the framework of the GEF-7 Dryland Sustainable Landscape Impact Program (DSL-IP), the Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded “Promoting Dryland Sustainable Landscapes and Biodiversity Conservation in the Eastern Steppe of Mongolia” project, jointly implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), has supported the Government of Mongolia in its transition toward integrated landscape-based management.

Recognizing the significant role played by FFPOs, a virtual training was held on 30 June 2025 to equip representatives from the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, the Kenya Forest Service, and the National Environment Management Authority with tools and techniques for assessing FFPOs. 

Married at a young age and raising four children, Patuma Lifa, a 38-year-old mother, has long relied on agriculture to sustain her family. Yet, declining yields have made survival increasingly difficult.

Across Botswana’s dryland farming communities, traditional ecological knowledge continues to shape how families safeguard their livelihoods. In this context, the practice of preserving seeds using Leadwood (motswiri) ash has supported households for generations ensuring farmers maintain access to viable, pest-free seeds from one season to the next. 

Agnes Libanda is a 32-year-old female farmer from the Mukhalala village in Mulanje. She is a mother of four and a member of the Mapasa Farmer Field School. 

The Third Regional Stakeholders Workshop for Southern Africa of the GEF-7 Dryland Sustainable Landscapes Impact Program (DSL-IP) concluded today in Maputo with renewed commitments to accelerate action on sustainable land management, biodiversity conservation and climate resilience in the Miombo-Mopane ecoregion.