Thread by @IPESfood

After access to finance, another big obstacle to agroecology is *ACCESS TO #LAND & #WATER* 🌳🚰

📰This month we published 'The Added Value(s) of #Agroecology: Unlocking the potential for transition in West #Africa'

🔎 The research shows why land & water are fundamental 👇🏿

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Rapid #population growth, urban sprawl, and land grabbing have created unprecedented pressures on #land and #water resources in West #Africa. Moreover, land laws, often rooted in the colonial era, have generally failed to protect customary tenure and land use.

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In fact, between 2000 & 2012, some 3 million hectares of land were subject to large-scale #land acquisitions across nine West African countries.

🔎In #Senegal alone, 650,000+ ha were granted to investors between 2007 & 2016 – equivalent to 16% of the country's arable land❗️

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Large-scale #irrigation projects have also further reduced access to water for pastoralists and #smallholders. In the Sudano-Sahelian area, land and water grabbing has led to the breakdown of traditional pastoral areas. And #climatechange is exacerbating these pressures.

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But what does this mean for #agroecology? 🌱

Potential adopters of agroecology are left with marginal land, resource constraints & competition, & – in the absence of secure land tenure – no guarantee that they'll be able to reap the benefits of the agroecological transition.

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In West #Africa, the most fertile land, often near waterways, tends to be claimed for #export commodity production. As a result, agroecological production is often confined to marginal & low-fertility land, holding back its potential & skewing assessments of its productivity.

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The lack of access to #land & #water are obstacles that are particularly acute for #women. Across West #Africa, they continue to face severe limitations to access, & are rarely placed in positions of responsibility or decision-making (cf. @FAO).

So what does this mean ? ...

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... Because of lack of access to land & water, #women are held back in their ability to engage in the agroecological transition. The land they do own is often poorer quality & their tenure more insecure, particularly as a result of traditional land rights & inheritance laws.

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But many national, regional & int'l organisations defending the rights of #peasants are continuing to mobilise around access to #land.

🔎Just look @Afsafrica's work on land tenure & management, or @Oxfam-Solidarité’s “Stand for #landrights” campaign!

📖 ipes-food.org/pages/Agroecol…

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-ENDS-