As wildfires escalate in Namibia’s Kavango East Region, one woman’s dedication is helping to protect forests, livelihoods and future generations.

After recent climate shocks, Kenya’s Nailepeu Community – supported by DSL-IP – replanted crops and adopted erosion control to restore livelihoods. In Narok South’s Loita region, communities are developing sustainable grazing plans that combine traditional knowledge with modern tools to manage communal land, reduce conflict, and restore ecological balance.

On 10 April, the DSL-IP community came together for a focused exchange on tools and innovations supporting Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN), co-hosted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies (WOCAT).

The UNCCD-FAO report Women-led solutions for drought resilience, calls for recognition and support for women-led efforts to protect vulnerable communities from the devastating effects of drought. 

MEV-CAM's process documentation is contributing to DSL-IP efforts to foster a culture of continuous learning, adaptive management, and participatory engagement, contributing to a systematic approach to sustainably managing drylands. Read more on how the MEV-CAM initiative is supporting DSL-IP efforts in Botswana, Malawi and Zimbabwe.

As part of the efforts promoted by the DSL-IP Kazakhstan Resilient Agroforestry and Rangeland Project the project team has carried out thorough assessments for the identification of priority areas for project interventions. This has been greatly enhanced through the innovative use of the FAO's EarthMap platform, and complemented with relevant national maps and ground-truthing assessments and consultations. 

ZAKA DISTRICT, Zimbabwe - In one of Zimbabwe’s drylands, a new community seed bank is offering a lifeline to local farmers struggling with the impacts of climate change. The recently commissioned Vanyoro Community Seed Bank is part of a broader effort to promote sustainable management of indigenous crops and the region's mopane and miombo landscapes in Zimbabwe.

In Zimbabwe's drylands, a remarkable transformation is underway, thanks to the GEF-7 Dryland Sustainable Landscapes Impact Program (DSL-IP). Supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), this collaborative initiative is empowering local communities to achieve the "four betters" outlined by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO): better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life.

In a transformative learning exchange, farmers, researchers, crop breeders, foresters and agricultural experts from five Southern African countries convened in Zimbabwe for the first Dryland sustainable Landscapes Impact Program (DSL-IP) regional learning event on community seed banks. The event emerged as a beacon of hope for rural farmers struggling with seed access and agricultural sustainability.

Longyearbyen (Svalbard Islands), Norway, 25 February 2025 — The Svalbard Global Seed Vault marked its 17th anniversary today by opening its doors to receive nearly 14 000 deposits of seeds from around the world, including over 2 000 seed samples from projects supported by the Int...

This week, the Botswana DSL-IP Project Management Unit is conducting capacity needs assessments for FFPOs in the Chobe District. Nestled within the rich Miombo and Mopane woodlands, with the majestic Chobe River flowing nearby, the DSL-IP team is engaging with passionate producers eager to strengthen their organizations and drive sustainable change.

Fire has historically played a crucial role in Southern Africa, especially in the drylands, where communities have depended on fire for cooking, warmth and cultural practices. However these landscapes are undergoing rapid transformation due to climate change, shifts in land use, and growing human activity, all of which have led to increased frequency and intensity of wildfires.

The Miombo woodlands in Tanzania, which account for approximately 90 percent of the country’s total forest cover, are vital ecosystems. However, due to unsustainable land-use practices, they are facing significant degradation. The Dryland and Sustainable Landscapes Impact Program (DSL-IP) aims to reverse this trend by engaging forest and farm producers in restoration efforts across the Sikonge, Urambo, Kaliua Districts (Tabora Region), and Mlele District (Katavi Region). 

Land degradation is a pressing issue in Botswana, with nearly half of the country’s forests under threat from unsustainable practices like overgrazing, cultivation, fuelwood harvesting, ecologically harmful Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) extraction, and wildfires. These activities threaten th...

[Blantyre, Malawi] – 29 July-02 August 2024 – Over one hundred cross-sectoral stakeholders including land users, government officials, technical partners and project implementers from ten different countries across dryland ecoregions gathered in the Warm Heart of Africa (Malawi) on 29 July for the second regional stakeholders workshop for Southern Africa under the GEF-7 Sustainable Forest Management Impact Program on Dryland Sustainable Landscapes (DSL-IP).