Water, Land, Ecosystems and Trade in Staples: Regional trade to enhance resilience of ecosystems; equitable wealth creation; food & nutrition security in the East African Community
A combination of failure to recognize regional food trade as a key element of sustainable and resilient food systems and inadequate integrated planning and execution of relevant policies has hindered efforts to ensure nutrition security and resilient food systems in East Africa. Limited commercialization of the region’s food staple sector is seen as a key obstacle.
Water, Land, Ecosystems and Trade in Staples (WaLETS) aimed to investigate which, what and how policies and investments in the EAC can prioritize ecosystem services and trade based approaches to food security. It looked at the current status and ways of empowering women and youth in order to improve food and nutrition security and foster wealth at national and regional levels.
The project worked with numerous partners, including FSI, PSI, NARS, government bodies and policy makers, and the EAC secretariat.
WLE's regional program in the Nile and East Africa Region (WLE Nile-East Africa) was a research-for-development initiative that sought to restore and bolster opportunities for increased agricultural productivity through key ecosystem services, especially in the resource poor areas of the region. WLE Nile-East Africa was one of four regional programs of WLE, which also included the Ganges, Greater Mekong, and Volta/Niger.