How green value chains can help restore Africa’s drylands

Africa’s drylands are degrading at a critical pace: but restoring them cannot rely on grants alone. The Dryland Sustainable Landscapes Impact Programme (DSL-IP) is testing whether green value chains — selling sustainably harvested or cultivated natural products — can make restoration pay and attract private investment. Drawing on lessons from Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe, this briefing demonstrates how green value chains organised by legally recognised, well-governed forest and farm producer groups (FFPOs) can turn drylands restoration from a cost into a source of income.