Sustainability has moved to the forefront of global development. With the recent launch of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Pope’s impassioned plea to protect nature, the recognition that development hinges on sustainable use of planetary resources has never been greater than now.
The CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE) is taking advantage of this recognition and the new opportunities that it brings. The program is delivering science that is relevant to many of the SDGs and global development challenges. At the same time, it is leveraging its strong partnerships around the globe to develop sustainable solutions for people from farm to landscape scale to achieve greater reach and impact.
The 2014-2015 highlights include three long features on impact, six stories of change and five highlights in research. These stories reflect the breadth, scope and reach of WLE’s research for development.
Features on impact
During the past year, WLE has contributed to a number of Sustainable Development Goals, spanning from water and sanitation to biodiversity and nutrition, at multiple levels. The program has provided evidence and knowledge to support the selection of targets and indicators that will enable measurement of progress against the goals, and it has engaged with a number of partners involved in the SDG process to ensure that ecosystems-based thinking is embedded in them. At the national level, WLE is supporting governments to implement initiatives in pursuit of the goals and to develop relevant and scientifically sound monitoring regimes.
The story on a new solar power buyback scheme in India shows how WLE is working with state and national governments to ensure sustainable use of groundwater through innovative mechanisms. It also highlights the importance of working across sectors to ensure that sustainable solutions can be scaled up to potentially benefit millions of people.
The final feature focuses on WLE’s work on recovering nutrients from wastewater to safely reuse them for food production, exploring in particular the important, but often undervalued, role of urban agriculture. According to a report by WLE researchers, global urban agriculture, considered as agricultural activities within a 20-kilometre radius of urban areas, now occupies an area equivalent to the entire European Union.
Restructuring for impact
A restructuring of the program was a major focus for WLE in 2014. The reorganization was based on the recognition that a truly integrated ecosystems-based approach to natural resource management requires both working across multiple sectors and focusing on the landscape scale. WLE now takes a systems approach to tackling key global challenges related to water scarcity, climate variability and environmental degradation, working from farm to landscape scale.
As part of the reorganization, WLE established a new research theme entitled Integrating Ecosystem Solutions into Policy and Investments (IES). It is focused on four regions—Volta/Niger, Nile/East Africa corridor, Ganges and Greater Mekong—and it encompasses 33 new projects that were financed in late 2014 through an open and competitive call. In parallel, three projects were selected through a new instrument called the Innovation Fund. The Innovation Fund supports pioneering research that advances the concepts of sustainable agricultural intensification, integrates the contributions of existing research themes and supplements other research activities.
Finally, WLE has enhanced its operational capacity with a more systematic and focused approach to monitoring and evaluation and impact assessment. A new reporting system has been established, which allows for better tracking of activities and more robust evidence of outcomes. WLE also continues to lead the field in innovative communications. Its recently revamped website better showcases WLE stories and messages; films and other communication products have contributed to uptake of WLE work; and the renowned WLE blog has been renamed to “Thrive” and has launched a series of podcasts featuring discussions on how to achieve a sustainable food future.
Looking to the future
Much of the progress achieved within the past 18 months would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of Andrew Noble, the former WLE program director, who left WLE in August 2015 to begin an exciting tenure as Deputy Director General (Research) at the International Center for Agriculture Research in the Dryland Areas (ICARDA), a WLE partner.
Looking to the future, WLE aims to carry forward its successful research and initiatives beyond the end of the current phase in 2016 and into its proposed second phase, starting in 2017. “WLE II” is expected to provide much needed evidence on how to feed 9 billion people by 2050 within the boundaries of sustainability by working jointly with other CGIAR research programs and a range of other partners.
Sincerely,
Emma Greatrix
Acting Director, CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems