CGIAR's approach to tackling triple global crises- Land degradation, climate change and biodiversity loss

Over the last 10 days, leaders from across world converged in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to find and upscale innovative solutions to the three major global challenges – Land degradation affecting up to 40% of land, and losing four football fields to degradation every second; Climate change with Greenhouse gas concentrations being at record highs, and the past decade being the warmest on record; and Biodiversity loss with monitored wildlife populations having declined by 73% in past 50 years.

The good news is that there are agricultural innovations and technologies for tackling these triple global crises and the integration of the three Rio conventions at landscape scales. The bad news is that there are barriers to their implementation.

Expounding on CGIAR’s landscape approach to tacking the triple crises, Lulseged Desta, Interim Director, CGIAR’s Multifunctional Landscapes Program noted, “Addressing the complex, interconnected challenges we face requires complementary solutions that tackle multiple issues simultaneously. These efforts are closely aligned with the three Rio Conventions and other global initiatives. Synergies are essential to meet commitments collectively, avoiding sequential actions that may lead to trade-offs.”

At the landscape level, CGIAR and its partners have developed and tested integrated solutions and technologies in agroecology, nature-positive, regenerative, and restorative solutions. “Bundling these approaches enables us to meet multiple targets effectively. Under the Multifunctional Landscapes Program, we focus on integrated systems thinking and leverage advancements in data science, artificial intelligence, and other tools to harmonize solutions at the landscape scale while addressing national and global challenges.”

Desta was speaking at a side event, “Agricultural innovations and technologies for the integration of the three Rio conventions at landscape scales” at UNCCD COP16 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on 9 December 2024. The session, convened by CGIAR’s Environmental Health and Biodiversity Impact Area Platform (EHBIAP) brought together experts to deliberate on promoting and strengthening partnership and collaboration in science, technology and innovation to address the triple crises for a transition to regenerative and circular agriculture and food system, that protects and restores natural capital, reduces pollution and enhances one health by tackling the root causes of the environmental and socio-ecological issues. Cargele Masso, Director, EHBIAP moderated the session.

Paulina Upla, a consultant and environmental specialist with EHBIAP noted that agriculture plays a dual role in these crises: it drives land degradation through soil erosion and nutrient depletion, contributes to biodiversity loss via deforestation and habitat destruction, and exacerbates climate change by reducing carbon sinks and increasing greenhouse gas emissions. Conversely, sustainable agriculture can mitigate these impacts, enhance food security, and restore land productivity.

She shared three key innovations of CGIAR and integrated landscape approaches that can optimize synergies, such as combining livestock production with biodiversity conservation or integrating forestry with agriculture, while minimizing trade-offs.

Key innovations
One, agroforestry for its ability to combine trees with agricultural landscapes to regenerate soils, support biodiversity, sequester carbon, and enhance productivity and resilience. Tools like Diversity for Restoration and MyFarmTrees help land users select native species for restoration and connect farmers to carbon markets.

Two, sustainable farming approaches like conservation agriculture and land resource conservation which improve crop productivity and farmer incomes while enhancing environmental sustainability. Silvopastoral systems combine livestock grazing with forest management, increasing soil fertility, biodiversity, and carbon sinks.

Three, water management innovations like solar-powered irrigation that reduce reliance on fossil fuels, lower costs, and improve water efficiency, benefiting thousands of farmers.

However, success of these innovations depends on the following enablers: Data and evidence to guide implementation; capacity building for local farmers and users; alignment with local contexts, knowledge, and policies; secured land tenure and market linkages to incentivize adoption; and collaboration with the private sector for financing and scalability.

Stressing the importance of strategic partnerships, Tom B. Waltz, Director, 1000 Landscapes for 1 Billion People stated, “Success of landscape initiatives hinges on locally-led partnerships—engaging the people who live and work in these landscapes. While landscape partnerships differ across regions like the USA, Africa, and South America, they share common growth phases: starting partnerships, developing plans, securing resources, and implementing solutions.”

He elaborated on how 1000 Landscapes has co-designed and tested tools to support these phases in three key areas: Learning Modules comprising of a comprehensive suite of 20+ modules available at landscapes.global with topics ranging from starting a landscape partnership to developing agreements and plans, designed to guide the user journey; Terraso Digital Tool – a platform for data collection, visualization, and storytelling, tailored to the needs of landscape partnerships; and Landscape Finance Accelerator – a service helping partnerships identify funding sources, engage with financial organizations, and develop financial mechanisms to support their plans.

Elizabeth Warham, Team Lead, the Global Centre on Biodiversity and Climate (GCBC) at the Royal Botanic Gardens shared Center’s involvement in developing new technologies or finding creative ways to apply existing ones within projects to deliver innovative outcomes. “GCBC focuses on the “nexus” of climate resilience, biodiversity, and livelihoods, examining how these elements interconnect. These relationships can sometimes be positive, other times negative. Our goal is to better understand these dynamics and identify solutions that address challenges across all three areas effectively.”

She further elaborated on GCBC systems approach using frameworks like One Health. “This perspective integrates the health of humans, animals, and the environment, aiming to improve outcomes holistically. For example, by managing biodiversity and ecosystems effectively, we can meet growing demands while reducing disease burdens and improving public health.”

Suneetha Subramanian, a Research Fellow with the United Nations University-Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability, Tokyo warned of lack of governance systems. “Despite having structures in place, governments often simplify or fragment socio-ecological complexities for ease of implementation or reporting. This tendency undermines the holistic, integrated approaches necessary for sustainability,” she stated, citing governance gaps in land use decisions — such as those involving Land Degradation Neutrality— where multiple stakeholders with conflicting priorities must be balanced. “A pastoralist community’s needs differ significantly from those of a business involved in large-scale commercial plantations, yet both operate within the same landscape. National governments face the challenge of reconciling these diverse priorities, identifying trade-offs, and making context-sensitive decisions.”

Another gap is accessible and appropriate finance, particularly at the local level. While there have been innovations in landscape finance, the resources needed for a farmer to adopt sustainable practices remain out of reach. Local banks, for example, rarely integrate sustainability outcomes into their benefit-cost metrics. Addressing this requires a radical restructuring of financial systems and incentive structures—something that demands political will. While progress is occurring, it remains slow.

Furthermore, there is a gap in integrating diverse sciences into solution-building. “While there is ample knowledge from technical, mainstream, and traditional expertise, we need better mechanisms to blend these sources into solutions that are both culturally and contextually appropriate,” stated Subramanian.

She also spoke of the persistent challenge of inclusive stakeholder engagement persists. “From individuals to governments and intergovernmental entities, stakeholders need to align on implementation. This involves ensuring that practices and policies resonate with people’s lived realities. Policymakers, researchers, and practitioners must articulate the relevance of sustainable practices in ways that address people’s aspirations and priorities—whether they relate to well-being, resilience against natural or social shocks, or future security. For example, carbon markets may seem abstract or irrelevant to local communities unless translated into tangible benefits they can understand and value.”