“The time for dialogue is over. Now what we need is action, and action, and nothing but action.”

These were the words of Tony Simons, Director General of the World Agroforestry Centre as he spoke to participants at a conference which is developing an action plan to respond to the critical challenges of climate change, environmental degradation and rising food demand in Africa

Simons called on land stewards, sub-district managers and governments to start creating the enabling environment that would realize their dream for Africa in the next 30 to 40 years.

The Landscapes for People, Food and Nature in Africa conference was held in Nairobi, Kenya from 1 to 3 July 2014 and brought together leading minds from African government, research, civil society and the private sector.

A report on the Food Tank website outlines how conference participants agreed that a landscape approach is needed to create a climate-resilient landscape that supports livelihoods in harmony with natural resources.

“With the challenge in Africa for integration of food security, ecosystem services, biodiversity, climate, water and much more, there is need to envision landscapes that will fulfill all these needs,” said Richard Munang from the regional Office for Africa at the United Nations Environment Programme.

Munang spoke about a scenario where natural habitat areas provide sources of food for people, while farmlands support wild biodiversity, and where the land provides resources that help people become resilient in the face of climate change.

Read the full story: African Leaders Urged to Link Landscapes to the People