From boosting agricultural yields to creating jobs and fighting climate change, there are multiple benefits to making degraded land healthy again. Across Africa, companies offering a wide range of products and services are making money from planting trees and producing agricultural goods sustainably.
The business case for restoring land is clear: Developing sustainable food and land use business models overall could be worth up to $2.3 trillion, and provide over 70 million jobs globally by 2030.
Restoration businesses face different challenges, including knowledge barriers and limited access to capital. These restoration businesses are proving that restoring degraded forests and farmland is not only good for the planet but a good return opportunity as well. Scaling up this sector could bring multiple benefits for economies in Africa.
In order to achieve this, the World Resources Institute (WRI) and Fledge — through AFR100 and with the support from Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and DOEN Foundation — created the Land Accelerator. This is the first accelerator in the world aimed at fostering entrepreneurship in restoring degraded land to cost-effectively tackle climate change, create green jobs, and drive sustainable economic growth.
14 African entrepreneurs representing 8 countries (Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Niger, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe) will take part in an intensive 6-day workshop which ends in an event that connects them to financiers and investors: Demo Day. Check the full list of participants.
The Land Accelerator Demo Day will be hosted by iHub on September 12, at 4:00 P.M. If you are seeking opportunities to invest or are interested in sustainable businesses, please join us! You can register online here.
So far, 28 African countries have committed to restoring 113 million hectares of land through the country-led African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR100).
More information at: thelandaccelerator.com and wri.org/land-accelerator.
Press inquiries: nadia.peimbert@wri.org
Post by WRI
