This presentation by Louise Buck introduced the major topics for the parallel session on African Landscape Governance at the Landscapes for People, Food and Nature in Africa Conference #LPFNinAfrica. (Photos in this presentation are courtesy of Neil Palmer, CIAT, Penn State, Tobias Nawrath Photography, CCAFS, Dana Hoag LCC CRSP and CIMMYT.)

1. Supporting African
Landscape Objectives
Through Local
Landscape Governance
Louise Buck, EcoAgriculture Partners
and Cornell University

2. Introduction
As landscape approaches to pursuing food
production, ecosystem service conservation and
livelihood security in the same place gain favor,
challenges in governing these complex systems arise.
Photo: Neil Palmer, CIAT

3. Landscape Governance
Concerned with the
institutional arrangements,
decision-making processes,
policy instruments and
underlying values by which
multiple actors pursue their
interests in production,
conservation and
livelihoods through multi-
functional landscapes
(Kozar, et al., 2014)
Photo: Neil Palmer, CIAT

4. Landscape Governance Challenges
• Multi-level, multi-actor governance inhibits
integrated landscape management
• Divergent values and interests makes decision-
making complex
• Diverse views about where to locate what
functions, rights to resources, and ways of
making and enforcing rules can lead to conflict
• Power imbalances can lead to disempowerment
of farmers and other local land users

5. Viable Landscape Governance
Requires
• Knowledge of existing institutional
infrastructure and knowledge resources
• Metrics for assessing multiple desired
outcomes and trajectories for change
• Interconnected systems to link action and
social capital formation at different scales
• Capacity to manage institutional complexity
• Adaptive, collaborative management to learn
Photo: Penn State

6. Diverse Models of Landscape
Governance Emerging
• LPFN review of 87 integrated landscape initiatives
in 33 African countries reveals experimentation
and innovation with multiple new forms and
approaches
• Fully realized forms are not common
• Insight for designing viable systems evident from
some documented experience

7. Landcare in South Africa
• South African National Landcare Program,
governed by Land Use and Soil Management
Directorate within Department of Agriculture
• Government-defined principles address
governance that blends upper level policy
processes with community feedback mechanisms
• Main funding from government’s poverty relief
program, designed to generate employment
Photo Tobias Nawrath Photography

8. Landcare in Uganda
• Governance occurs at participatory, grassroots
level enabled through district government
• Kapchorwa District Landcare Chapter operates as
multi-stakeholder platform with shared vision
• District government and community sector strive
to ensure representation and ownership through
CBOs, religious leaders, private sector, youth,
disabled, women’s groups, etc.
Photo: CCAFS

9. Northern Rangeland Trust in Kenya
• Mission to develop resilient community
conservancies focusses on community-led decision-
making
• Each conservancy has Board of Directors of
democratically elected individuals and institutional
members including donors
• Highest governing body is Council of Elders
responsible for policy and by-laws
Photo: Dana Hoag, LCC CRSP

10. African Model Forest Network
Platforms are established to help
overcome weak links among forest
management units and mitigate
conflicts among forest actors through
frameworks of “good governance” (ref:
guide to MF governance).
Model forests (MFs) are large, multi-functional
landscapes governed by public-private-civic
partnerships that engage local and indigenous
communities.

11. Lessons for Putting into Practice
Viable Systems that Account for
Multiple Actors, Levels, Scales and
Sectors
• Negotiating what and whose
landscape
• Balancing power dynamics
• Resolving governance options
and metrics for evaluation
Photo: CIMMYT

12. Negotiating What and Whose
Landscape
• Recognize ecological as well as social, political,
historical, and cultural determinants of
boundaries and scales
• Invest in sustained leadership, and collaborative
planning, adaptive management and decision-
making to underpin dynamic governance
systems that evolve over time with changes in
socio-ecological systems

13. Balancing Power Dynamics
• Address power imbalances by pursuing
equity in representation and benefit
sharing through legal frameworks and
“good governance” processes
• Design nested governance systems that
span multiple levels, give local
governments primary attention and build
on customary arrangements
Photo: CIMMYT

14. Resolving Governance Options
• Link knowledge systems through vertical
(hierarchical) and horizontal (sectoral)
coordination frameworks and bridging
organizations
• Provide lasting incentives through legal land
and resource rights, access to markets, others
• Evaluate effects of policies on governance
structures and processes to harmonize

15. Consensus Actions
• Develop innovation systems that foster
social learning about landscapes and
governance
• Invest in critical mass of agents with
capacities for co-designing viable
governance systems
Photo: CIMMYT

16. Consensus Actions (continued)
• Develop curricula, guidelines and codes of
conduct in landscape governance to promote
capacity development for landscape leaders.
• Develop a Pan African Platform that brings
together networks focused on forest, grazing,
wildlife and agricultural production to enrich
innovation in landscape governance and
expand successful approaches.

17. Springboards for Action
• Support ILIs already organized in Africa to
document experience, promote dialogue and
test innovations to further strengthen their
governance systems.
• Use existing platforms of landscape initiatives in
Africa to accelerate and expand learning and
innovation (through African Model Forest
Network, Landcare International, AWF
supported Heartlands, others) and interlink with
the LPFN knowledge-sharing networks.
Photo: CIMMYT

18. Springboards for Action (continued)
• Incorporate landscape governance issues into
new CGIAR research programs in Africa and
link to operational landscape initiatives
• Build a landscape governance focus into the
expanding work of diverse partnerships and
networks (eg; the NEPAD/TerrAfrica
partnership, the African Landcare Network)
• Others…?

19. Further Springboards for Action
?
Photo: CIMMYT

20. Reference
• Kozar, R., L. Buck, E. Barrow, T. Sunderland, D.
Catacutan, C. Planicka, A. Hart, L. Willemen.
2014. “Towards Viable Landscape
Governance Systems: What works?”
Landscapes for People, Food and Nature
Working Paper. EcoAgriculture Partners:
Washington, DC.

21. Today’s Process
• Introduction and Presentation (5, 10)
• Panel Discussion (25)
• Plenary Insights (15)
• Action Group Formation (25)
• Action Working Groups (60)
• Report back to Session (30)