Reducing Deforestation and Forest Degradation through Sustainable Agricultural Value Chains and Improved Forest Governance

Forests are valuable ecosystems: 1.6 billion people, amongst them the most vulnerable, rely on forest resources for their livelihoods. Agricultural production, deforestation and forest degradation are the second leading cause of global warming.

The new project “Sustainable Agriculture for Forest Ecosystems” (SAFE) is jointly funded by the European Commission and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and contributes towards their commitments of reducing deforestation and forest degradation through sustainable agricultural value chains and improved forest governance. In four selected countries, Brazil, Ecuador, Indonesia and Zambia, the project aims to promote a holistic approach for sustainable governance and management on forest frontiers by fostering future-oriented, innovative agriculture and approaches of public and private actors in the fields of agriculture, forestry and environment while aiming to improve livelihoods of local and indigenous communities.

In this panel with high-level governmental representatives from Brazil, Zambia, Ecuador, Indonesia, Germany and EU, we will discuss the following:

• Which framework conditions and incentives are suitable to preserve and sustainably use natural forests?
• How can we support smallholder farmers, indigenous communities and marginalised groups to support a future for people, forests and climate?
• Which potential do jurisdictional/ landscape approaches have to achieve forest preservation and sustainable development?
• In which way can innovation and digitalisation help increase sustainability, transparency and inclusion in agricultural supply chains?

The project SAFE will run from January 2022 to May 2026. In the context of the European Green Deal, the European Union has announced both regulatory and other measures to support to avoid deforestation and forest degradation in supply chains.

To this end, the European Union is currently preparing a new regulation on minimising the EU’s contribution to deforestation and forest degradation in defined commodity supply chains by addressing EU consumption and production.

The EU is also initiating Forest Partnerships with producer countries to protect, restore and sustainably use forests in a comprehensive and integrated way. These Forest Partnerships will facilitate inter-sectoral dialogue, particularly between agriculture and forestry, hence helping reduce pressures on forests.

In line with this approach, SAFE will work in a cross-sectoral perspective to promote the development of transparent and sustainable supply chains, including through exchange and learning with a wide range of actors.

Check back for updates on the program.