Welcome to
TRANS-SAHARA - Novel WEFE Nexus-based approaches towards agroforestry management in the Greater Northern African Region
TRANS-SAHARA will establish a groundbreaking approach for leveraging agroforestry systems to support African communities in their fight against climate change.
The TRANS-SAHARA project is pioneering agroforestry as a transformative solution to combat climate challenges across the Greater Northern African Region (GNAR). By integrating water security with sustainable land use through the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems (WEFE) Nexus approach, the project addresses critical issues such as drought, degraded land, and limited water resources. Using cutting-edge tools, scalable agroforestry strategies, and innovative business models, TRANS-SAHARA aims to restore degraded lands, boost crop yields, and double farmers’ incomes while creating new carbon sinks. Τhis initiative combines community-led engagement with technical advancements to ensure lasting impact. With a vision to enhance climate resilience and socio-economic development, the project aspires to drive widespread adoption of sustainable agroforestry systems across Africa by 2030.
Main Objectives
Integrated Data Analysis:
Collect, monitor, and model hydrological, geoscience, agricultural, biodiversity, and socio-economic data through an innovative interdisciplinary approach to better understand the relationship between agroforestry management, climate resilience, biodiversity preservation, and sustainable agriculture.
Scalable Agroforestry Design:
Develop a WEFE-Nexus-based Agroforestry Intervention Design Tool tailored to local conditions in the Living Labs to optimise water availability while balancing agricultural productivity, socio-economic benefits, and sustainability.
Capacity Building:
Empower local stakeholders and authorities by enhancing their ability to collect, evaluate, and report agroforestry data, while also fostering entrepreneurial skills to support socio-economic and environmental performance evaluations.
Innovation Ecosystem Development:
Strengthen agroforestry adoption by introducing non-technical innovations, including sustainable business models and value-chain strategies, to ensure economic viability and replicability across the African Union.
Living Lab Demonstrations:
Validate technical and non-technical solutions in the Living Labs by achieving specific performance indicators, showcasing practical applications of the project’s innovations.
Expected outcomes
Improve access to qualitative and quantitative data on agroforestry’s contributions to climate change adaptation, mitigation, biodiversity preservation, and sustainable agriculture.
Advance the management of agroforestry systems—including conventional, agroecological, organic, and agropastoral systems—across Africa.
Strengthen capabilities to assess the socio-economic and environmental performance of agroforestry systems in fostering climate resilience.
Build a robust agroforestry innovation ecosystem to increase user acceptance and facilitate widespread implementation across the African Union.
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