Multifunctional Land Uses in Africa

This book presents contemporary case studies of land use, management practices, and innovation in Africa with a view to exploring how multifunctional land uses can alleviate food insecurity and poverty.

Food security and livelihoods in Africa face multiple challenges in the form of feeding a growing population on declining land areas under the impacts of climate change. The overall question is what kind of farming systems can provide resilient livelihoods? This volume presents a selection of existing farming systems that demonstrate how more efficient use of land and natural resources, labour and other inputs can have positive effects on household food security and livelihoods. It examines how aquaculture, integrated water management, peri-urban farming systems, climate-smart agriculture practices and parkland agroforestry contribute multiple benefits. Drawing on case studies from Kenya, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Burkina Faso, contributed by young African scientists, this book provides a unique perspective on multifunctional land use in Africa and illustrates how non-conventional uses can be profitable while promoting social and environmental sustainability. Tapping into the global discussion on land scarcity and linking food security to existing land use change processes, this volume will stimulate readers looking for diversified land uses that are compatible with both household and national food security ambitions.

This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of African development, agriculture, food security, land use and environmental management, as well as sustainable development more generally, in addition to policymakers and practitioners working in these areas.

The Open Access version of this book, available at https://www.routledge.com/Multifunctional-Land-Uses-in-Africa-Susta-in-able-Food-Security/Simelton-Ostwald/p/book/9780367785420, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.

"The multifunctional land use cases presented in this book reaffirm the urgent need to invest in diverse farming systems as we work to develop sustainable, productive, climate smart agricultural systems. More importantly, the research highlights the importance of considering the varying circumstances of vulnerable communities when devising interventions and actions." - Sithembile Ndema Mwamakamba, Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN)

"This case-study approach to shifting patterns of cultivation and multifunctional land use lends new insights into food security. From peri-urban agroforestry to watershed approaches to soil conservation, the book demonstrates the potential of both land-owner initiated and state sponsored schemes to simultaneously improve ecosystem services and food provision." - Professor Andrea Nightingale, University of Oslo, Norway

"In this book a team of young African research colleagues move scientific findings towards policy and practise. They display new ways how to view food security, especially in relation to land use and multifunctional landscapes. AgriFoSe2030 is proud to support this innovative thinking about how to improve Food Security in Africa." - Professor Ulf Magnusson, director AgriFoSe2030

"Tackling multifunctionality in land use, at smallholders? farming context of Africa, is just like hauling back important forgotten policies on sustainable food and nutrition for the poor. Nothing is more important in transformative science than evidence. The set of studies in this book shows facts of dealing with complex landscapes aspirations that take us beyond the mere discursive intentions. If you are looking for information about how production at the local scale is influenced by various geographies, social behavior, marketed drives, and cultural beliefs, get this book as guidance in content and methods to address what most national policies does not often mention in their sectoral approaches." - Cheikh Mbow, Executive Director of START International