SNAPP: Agriculture, Food Production and Forest Conservation in Sub-Saharan Africa

Food demand in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is projected to triple between 2010 and 2050. Historically, increased food production in SSA has been achieved more through expansion of area than increasing yields, and expansion of crop land has been largely at the expense of forests and woodlands. Conversion of forests to agriculture is the primary driver of deforestation in many countries in SSA and is likely to continue for longer and at higher rates than currently projected. In other words, there are disconnects within and between sectoral policies and strategies on food production and forest conservation in a number of countries in SSA. Related particularly to underestimation of risks and trade-offs, these disconnects present a real challenge both for the achievement of national development and conservation objectives and, in SSA, for the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals 2 (ending hunger) and 15 (protect terrestrial ecosystems). The working group will address three inter-related themes: 1. Disconnects, risks and trade-offs 2. Enabling conditions for better management of risks and trade-offs 3. Future scenarios and a theory of change "Better management" implies both more effective in reconciling food production and forest conservation goals and more equitable in distribution of the benefits within and between different stakeholder groups. Fundamental to this effort will be a transdisciplinary approach including expertise in agriculture, food security, forestry and biodiversity conservation, expertise in spatial analysis and scenario-building, and expertise in political economy to explore underlying constraints to better management of the key risks and trade-offs. The initiative will focus on three countries - Ethiopia, Ghana and Tanzania - building on relevant work of the working group members, other SNAPP groups and other relevant research in these countries. The first two themes will generate a synthesis of existing data and an inventory of relevant guidance and tools for better understanding and managing risks and trade-offs related to the competition between food production and forest conservation goals. Theme three will generate alternative scenarios for food production and forest conservation, and a theory of change for transitioning to a pathway that more effectively and equitably reconciles food production and forest conservation goals. In addition to informing agriculture, food, forest and land use policy, strategy and planning in the three target countries the evidence and learning from this initiative will also have wider impact in other countries in the region that face similar challenges.

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