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Information System for Agriculture and Food Research

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Globe: Wetlands in East Africa (Wetlands)

Project


Project code: 031A250G
Contract period: 01.07.2013 - 31.12.2018
Budget: 173,090 Euro
Purpose of research: Inventory & Assessment

Food production in East Africa shows stagnating and even declining trends, mainly a consequence of land degradation and climate variability. In contrast, wetlands, with year-round water availability, high resource base quality and the potential to harvest several crops per year present production hotspots in an otherwise degraded landscape. Wetlands cover 20 Mio ha in East Africa with only a small share currently being used. We surmise that these areas may become the bread basket of the region. A consortium from Bonn-Köln-Jülich and African partners will assess the status quo of wetlands’ contribution to food security and the sustainability of current wetland uses along climatic and social gradients. We will evaluate agronomic options based on ecological intensification, while considering nature protection and ecosystem services. Simulation models and tools for integrated assessment will be used for regionally extrapolating future wetland uses and testing possible scenarios, considering global change projections. The provision of decision tools and capacity building measures will ensure the application of the findings in the region and beyond. The project focuses on the sustainable use of wetlands in East Africa, aiming at increasing food production and security while minimizing negative effects on the environment: Analysis of current wetland use systems for food production regarding processes, constraints, potentials and ecological trade-offs, comparison of major wetland use strategies for regional food security against the location-specific ecological, socio-economic and political boundary conditions, identification, assessment and spatial targeting of innovative (future) land use options at different scales and organizational levels, development of an integrated tool for the assessment and evaluation of wetland use options under regionalized scenarios of global change, guidance for wetland use planning and implementation of capacity building measures.

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