Achieving the 'triple win' of improving rural livelihoods, increasing resilience in the face of climate extremes, and mitigating climate change 

Historically, both public and private sector investments in landscape restoration measures such as reforestation and agroforestry in sub-Saharan Africa have fallen short of their potential for generating income, mobilizing rural economic development, reducing poverty, increasing food security, and protecting and restoring the environment. This is in spite of the fact that Africa has possibly the greatest potential for investment in this sector.

The primary objective of the Investment Forum held at the World Agroforestry Centre in Nairobi, Kenya on May 25-27, 2011 was to explore the potential for private sector investment in tree-based production, marketing and processing opportunities for bringing about landscape restoration in key African countries. These investments will help countries achieve the "triple wins" of increasing rural incomes, making yields more resilient in the face of climate extremes, and making agriculture a solution to the climate change problem rather than part of the problem. The Forum is an outcome of the Hague Conference on Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change and is an important milestone leading up to the UNFCCC climate change talks scheduled for December 2011 in Durban.

The Forum brought together about 100 representatives of private sector financial institutions, forest and agribusiness companies, local communities, national forest associations, high level national government policy leaders (including Hon. Stanislas Kamanzi, Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Republic of Rwanda and Dr. Romano Kiome, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Kenya), research institutions and development partners. Participants worked to identify immediate investment opportunities, the main constraints to investment, and policy and institutional reforms needed to overcome those constraints.

The Background papers, Forum proceedings and Forum presentations are available on this page.