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Dano, Ioba province of Burkina Faso - As dawn breaks, the village of Tambiri, in Burkina Faso's Ioba province, is already quite busy. Women like Dabiré Ngalle, head of the Ngongele women's group, start their day with a sense of urgency, shaped by generations of struggle and survival. Dabiré leads her team into the shea groves, which are the main source of income for their families and communities. Yet these emblematic Sahelian trees are now at the heart of a long-running ecological crisis. Dabiré Ngalle, president of the Ngongele Women’s Cooperative | The women of Tambiri stand together at the heart of their community, bearing generations of knowledge and responsibility for preserving shea trees.The shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa), often called the "tree of life," has long provided shade, food and income throughout West Africa. In Burkina Faso alone, its economic and cultural value is considerable: some 800,000 tons of shea nuts are harvested each year, with women forming the backbone of this supply chain. But these trees are disappearing.Decades of deforestation, unsustainable farming practices and climate change have decimated the shea tree population. Studies show that drought stress alone has led to seedling mortality rates of up to 40% in some regions. Traditional farming methods, based on slow-growing seeds, are no longer sufficient."Every tree we lose is a piece of our history that is disappearing", Dabiré says in a measured but determined voice.The shea tree is more than a commodity; it's a key species in the Sahel's fragile ecosystem. For many rural women, it provides up to 80 percent of their household income. The production of shea butter, valued worldwide for its cosmetic and therapeutic properties, is both a livelihood and a heritage. But the decline of shea plantations has forced women to adapt in ways that strain their already precarious livelihoods.In Niemi, a neighboring village to Tambiri, memories of the abundance of shea trees are fading. "When I was young, shea trees were everywhere," recalls one woman. "Now the groves are like scattered islands, shrinking every year.The challenges women face go beyond the environmental. In Tambiri and beyond, traditional land tenure practices mean that women often have no guaranteed rights to the land on which they depend. This legal insecurity is a major obstacle to long-term investment in agroforestry or soil restoration.If my husband dies, my farm will be taken over by my in-laws," explains one woman. Her story is repeated throughout the region, where patriarchal norms limit women's autonomy in land-use decisions. Advocacy for land reform has gained momentum, with local leaders and NGOs pushing for policies that grant women ownership or long-term leases, but progress remains slow.Despite the challenges, new initiatives are offering a glimmer of hope. The Global Shea Alliance (GSA), in partnership with local NGOs and international bodies like the UNCCD are introducing regenerative agroforestry practices. These methods aim to balance ecological restoration with economic resilience."We used to plant trees without fully understanding how to take care of them," admits a participant in a training program in Niemi. "Now we know how to take care of the seedlings, so they survive."The programs also provide boreholes, which have reduced the backbreaking work of fetching water, and tricycles, which streamline the transportation of heavy shea nuts. These interventions are modest but meaningful, allowing women to reclaim time and energy for other tasks.The GSA's latest call to action - to restore four million hectares of Sahel parkland by 2030 - is ambitious. This restoration effort dovetails with the Great Green Wall Initiative, a broader strategy to address land degradation across the Sahel. But such large-scale projects often face funding gaps and logistical hurdles."It's not just about planting trees," emphasizes Gilles Amadou Ouedraogo, a UNCCD program officer. "It's about restoring ecosystems, empowering women, and ensuring the long-term viability of these landscapes."As daylight fades in Tambiri, Dabiré reflects on the challenges ahead. For her and the women of the Ngongele cooperative, the struggle is personal and generational. Each tree they plant is a seed of hope, an act of quiet defiance against the forces eroding their world."We're not just planting trees; we're panting for the survival of our children and their children," she says. Her words convey the quiet resilience of a community determined to preserve not just a species, but an entire way of life.The future of shea - and the millions who depend on it - will depend on a delicate balance of politics, environmental stewardship and the enduring determination of women like Dabiré.

New report showcases women-led solutions for building drought resilienceWomen produce up to 80 per cent of food in developing countries, yet less than 20 per cent of landowners are womenDroughts contribute to 15 per cent of disaster-related economic losses globally and are responsible for 85.8 per cent of livestock deathsBonn, Germany, 15 October 2024 – Women and girls are not only experiencing greater hardships but are also demonstrating remarkable leadership in the face of drought, finds the new report by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).Launched on the occasion of the International Day of Rural Women, the report titled Women-Led Solutions for Drought Resilience calls for better recognizing and supporting women-led efforts to protect vulnerable communities from the devastating effects of drought. It also underscores that women's land rights are crucial for achieving food security."Women have long been viewed as the most vulnerable to drought, but as this report reveals, they are also the most resilient, leading the way in developing solutions to one of the world's most pressing challenges," said Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary of the UNCCD. "The ingenuity and resourcefulness of women combatting drought around the world is boundless. Whether in the Africa’s Sahel region, in northern Kenya, in Iran, in Peru or in Morocco, women have proven their resilience and their ability to overcome the most inextricable conditions to keep their families thriving. Addressing gender inequality is not only about fairness—it is an opportunity to harness untapped potential in the fight against climate change."Gender inequalities and disproportionate impactsWomen and girls are disproportionately affected by drought due to persistent structural gender inequalities that limit their access to essential resources such as land, water, and financial services. These inequalities also place formidable workloads on women and girls. In many drought-impacted areas, women are primarily responsible for collecting water, often walking long distances, putting their health and safety at risk. Moreover, they manage unpaid care work, such as caring for children and the elderly, which further complicates their ability to cope with drought and underscores the need for drought plans to take into account specific challenges faced by women.Key findings: Women as drivers of global drought resilienceDespite facing systemic barriers such as limited land ownership, women are developing innovative solutions that enable their communities to adapt to the increasingly harsh environmental conditions.Women’s role in food production: Women produce up to 80 per cent of the food in developing countries but own less than 20 per cent of the land globally. This disparity limits their access to resources such as credit and training and their ability to prepare for and recover from droughts exacerbating their vulnerability to climate change.Drought’s global impact: Droughts contribute to 15 per cent of disaster-related economic losses globally and are responsible for 85.8 per cent of livestock deaths. In rain-fed agricultural regions, drought threatens the livelihoods of women, who make up a significant portion of the agricultural labour force.Land degradation and poverty: Up to 40 per cent of the world’s land is degraded, affecting over 3.2 billion people. As a result of land degradation and drought many women, are forced to walk longer distances to access clean water and gather fuel wood for their families.Economic benefits of women’s land rights: Research shows that securing land rights for women improves household nutrition, increases spending on children’s education, and enhances overall economic conditions. Women-led initiatives across the globe:The report features 35 case studies from Africa, Asia, and Latin America, showcasing women's leadership in addressing drought resilience. From water conservation practices to climate-smart farming techniques, the examples illustrate how women are driving progress and building resilience to drought.In Peru, pastoralist women combine modern and traditional knowledge to manage water resources using ecohydrological monitoring, ensuring year-round vegetation to support livestock and mitigate drought crises.In India, women have developed rainwater collection systems during monsoons, securing water for crops during dry periods and safeguarding food production.In Kyrgyzstan, women are restoring degraded land by cultivating medicinal herbs, creating both environmental recovery and sustainable income sources.Looking ahead: Women’s leadership at COP16The findings of Women-Led Solutions for Drought Resilience will inform the discussions at the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) that will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 2 to 13 December 2024. A key focus of UNCCD COP16, including its Gender Caucus, will be scaling up women-led initiatives and ensuring that gender-responsive strategies are at the heart of global drought resilience efforts. Increased investment in these strategies will be critical for supporting communities in addressing the growing environmental challenges posed by desertification, land degradation and drought worldwide.Notes to the editors Published by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the report is supported by the International Drought Resilience Alliance (IDRA), the Government of Canada and the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ).Webinar with report authorA webinar featuring global gender expert Lorena Aguilar, Executive Director of the Kaschak Institute for women and girls, and author of the report Women-Led Solutions for Drought Resilience, will be held on 15 October from 16:00-17:30 CEST (14:00-15:30 GMT).To register: https://unccd-int.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_HiTabvUDQpSPGLfBKnvoagDownload the full report The full report Women-Led Solutions for Drought Resilience is available in English:  Women-led solutions for drought resilience | UNCCD  Media enquiriesFor media enquiries please contact UNCCD Press Office at press@unccd.int  or unccd@portland-communications.comSocial media assets, including photos and videos, are available at:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ZRbzjUbDITX0HmOQEQyhLzCvI0vLO3H9 UNCCD #HerLand CampaignAbout UNCCD The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is an international agreement on good land stewardship. It helps people, communities and countries create wealth, grow economies and secure enough food, clean water and energy by ensuring land users an enabling environment for sustainable land management. Through partnerships, the Convention’s 197 parties set up robust systems to manage drought promptly and effectively. Good land stewardship based on sound policy and science helps integrate and accelerate achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, builds resilience to climate change and prevents biodiversity loss.  About the International Day of Rural Women  The International Day of Rural Women, celebrated annually on 15 October, highlights the critical role rural women play in sustaining their communities and global food systems. The theme for 2024, "Rural Women Cultivating Good Food for All", highlights their contributions from crop production to food distribution, despite facing systemic inequalities such as limited access to land, financial resources and decision-making power. As key drivers of food security, rural women are essential to building more resilient and sustainable agricultural systems, which is an essential step towards achieving global development goals such as zero hunger and gender equality.Photo credit (c): AMPLED 

The UNCCD Gender Action Plan (GAP) emphasizes the critical importance of gender equality and women’s empowerment in implementing the Convention. A key priority of the GAP is to increase women’s access to relevant knowledge and technologies. To fulfill these objectives, UNCCD and the World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies (WOCAT) joined forces in 2020 to advance gender-responsive Sustainable Land Management (SLM). This collaboration between UNCCD and WOCAT focuses on documenting, analyzing and scaling gender-responsive SLM practices by gathering gender-disaggregated data. A specialized tool, co-designed with gender and SLM experts, identifies gender-based parameters as well as the technical and socio-cultural factors that enhance the adoption of SLM by both women and men. In the initial phase of the project in 2021, WOCAT network partners in 15 countries tested the tool, showing promising results. As the Pambadeniya Women Group from Sri Lanka noted, “Women and men debated on how to guarantee equal opportunities in decision making, participation and fair distribution of benefits.” The data demonstrated that equal access to SLM technologies and approaches is both context- and technology-specific. Five technology group profiles on gender-responsive SLM were developed to show the need for further action. Building on this success and following Decision 24/COP.15, UNCCD and WOCAT are now launching a call for expressions of interest to apply the gender-responsive SLM tool. This initiative aims to gather more country-specific gender-disaggregated data on SLM practices, which will be presented at the upcoming UNCCD COP16 in Ryiadh, Saudi Arabia, this December. We are inviting up to 40 stakeholders to implement the gender-responsive SLM tool in local contexts from September to November 2024. Applications are welcome from UNCCD Parties, civil society organizations, WeCaN members and others involved in sustainable land management. The application deadline is 4 August 2024. Submissions are accepted in English, French and Spanish. For more details on the call, application requirements, and the online application form, please see the side menu. * Please note: the questionnaire is currently being reviewed and updated. The final version of the questionnaire will be available in September 2024

Gender equality is a key entry-point for Sustainable Land Management (SLM) and UNCCD together with WOCAT are working to improve gender-responsiveness of SLM practices. Direct and indirect gender-related barriers prevent women from adopting SLM practices. These barriers include land tenure insecurity; land availability; education or literacy levels; access to seeds, fertilizers, or extension services; and access to technologies and financing. As a result, women adopt SLM technologies at a rate that is typically lower and slower than that of men. In line with the UNCCD Gender Action Plan (GAP) and guided by the idea to build back better, the aim of this UNCCD-WOCAT project is to: Add a gender lens to SLM technologies and appraoches and  assess their gender-responsiveness Evaluate how gender-responsiveness of SLM Technologies and Approaches can be improved, stepping up adoption and dissemination, making SLM beneficial for women and men alike. This will support project planners, designers and implementers to identify, realize and scale gender-responsive SLM Technologies and Approaches within the framework of LD/SLM and LDN projects and programmes as well as promote the implementation of gender-responsive SLM practices in the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration. Phase 1: Development of Gender-responsive SLM tool In the first phase, WOCAT and UNCCD designed a tool that helps to test the gender-responsiveness of SLM Technologies and Approaches and to identify areas of improvement to support project planners, designers, and implementers in their effort to scale up SLM Technologies and Approaches that are gender-responsive.  The gender-responsive SLM tool was reviewed during a UNCCD-WOCAT consultation  workshop with experts from different organizations and regions, resulting in the fine-tuning of the tool.  Currently, the tool is being tested with WOCAT network partners in more than 10 countries around the globe, supporting it further refinement and facilitating a first round of data collection. Data will be analysed and presented in the form of SLM Gender Profiles, showcasing women and men's involvement in different SLM Technologies and providing insights and recommendations on the improvement of SLM Technologies and related Approaches in view of gender equality and women empowerment. Phase 2: New gender tool added to WOCAT Database (May 2024 – June 2025) The Global WOCAT SLM Database will be enhanced with a gender-responsive SLM tool, enabling: Online assessment of the gender-responsiveness of SLM practices Search for gender-responsive SLM solutions Collection of gender-disaggregated data through a harmonized system Possibility to analyse and share gender-disaggregated data to support informed decision-making for gender equality in land management, particularly in relation to drought resilience Platform to discuss gender and land management related issues within communities Interested partners and institutions, including UNCCD Parties and CSOs, will be trained in its application to gain country-specific gender-disaggregated data on SLM practices.  Results will support the design and implementation of gender-responsive SLM projects and programmes and inform decision-makers. During the upcoming UNCCD COP16 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in December 2024, partners will present results and country insights.

On 17 May, one month before the Desertification and Drought Day 2024, UNCCD Goodwill Ambassadors Ricky Kej and Inna Modja released the new Her Land anthem to support land rights for women across the world. They are among the key activists and influencers that work with UNCCD to spearhead the campaign #HerLand and mobilize support to secure land rights for women and girls across the world. When land is degraded women and girls are impacted first and most. They are disproportionately affected by poverty, hunger, displacement and violence. And they have minimal control over land itself or decisions about how to manage it. Although women produce half the world’s food, they own less than one-fifth of land worldwide and make up the majority of the world’s hungry.  But it doesn’t have to be this way. When land rights are secured, we have seen women and girls increase yields, restore land, and build resilience to drought. Listen to the song, get inspired and join our call to action for Her Land, Her Rights!  

Imagine a world where every farmer, indigenous community and local group has the power to improve their land and their lives. It's not just a dream. By securing land tenure – the right to use, control and transfer land – we can unlock sustainable development on a global scale. The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) are working together to make this vision a reality. Land tenure determines how people connect with the land. Worldwide, 2.5 billion people depend on communally managed territories, which often lack legal protection. This vulnerability undermines sustainability, escalates conflicts and damages the environment. Although more than 50 per cent of communal lands are used by indigenous peoples and local communities, only 10 per cent are legally recognised. These challenges led to the launch of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure (VGGT) in 2012. A blueprint for fairness, the VGGT ensure that everyone – regardless of gender or social status – receives the same land rights. Incorporating principles of equity, transparency and sustainability into land governance is critical to creating secure and productive communities. These principles are not just theoretical; they are being successfully applied around the world, with transformative results. In Eritrea, the Serejeka sub-zone, part of the Great Green Wall initiative, introduced a new land tenure system called "xlmi" across 28 villages. This new system, which allows landholdings to be inherited as family property, replaced the previous seven-year lease system with redistribution among smallholders. The change has led to clear environmental and social benefits. It has significantly reduced deforestation and land conflicts, and provided farmers with secure, long-term benefits. This security has undoubtedly encouraged greater investment in sustainable land management practices, boosting household income. In the Senegal River Basin, a concerted effort to improve land governance has facilitated better management of vast agricultural resources, boosting food security and economic stability across the region. In Colombia, the government has launched a land regularisation programme with indigenous communities, employing the "Open Tenure" tool under the VGGT. This tool maps legitimate tenure rights, supporting a transparent process that helps stakeholders record and protect their rights. The programme also promotes joint land ownership for spouses, aiming to combat discriminatory inheritance practices. In many rural areas, land tenure security acts as a vital safety net for the poor, buffering them against uncertainties and securing their livelihoods. This security is more than just a piece of paper; it ensures that smallholder farmers can produce food and reduce poverty and inequality within their communities. The process of securing land rights – through formal recognition, proper documentation and robust dispute resolution – is critical not only to the well-being of farmers, but also to the promotion of sustainable agricultural practices. The challenge, however, is that in many developing countries land is often held under informal or undocumented arrangements. Simply formalising these arrangements doesn't automatically lead to true security and can even lead to 'elite capture', where only a few reap the benefits. The genuine recognition and enforcement of legitimate land rights – including access, use, management and ownership – is essential. This not only increases agricultural productivity, but also strengthens the rights and livelihoods of the most vulnerable, paving the way for a more equitable and sustainable future for rural communities. A major challenge in this area is the significant gender disparity in land governance, management and benefit-sharing, even under customary or informal tenure arrangements. Although women make up nearly half of the world's agricultural workforce, they own less than 20 per cent of the world's land. It is clear that investing in women's equal access to land and related assets is a direct investment in their future and the future of humanity. When women have secure land rights, they are more likely to invest in the land and participate actively in community life, leading to better outcomes for families and societies. When women's tenure security is improved, household spending on food and education increases by up to 30 per cent. The UNCCD and FAO are committed to continuing these efforts through national consultations and inclusive policy-making. By engaging a wide range of stakeholders, they aim to tailor land tenure reforms to local needs and open up new opportunities for cooperation and financing. These efforts will eventually reach more than 30 countries o have who have requested support on integrating secure tenure into their Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) programmes and restoration activities. Securing land rights and advocating for inclusive governance is a powerful tool for change. By protecting ecosystems and empowering millions of people around the world to have a say on how land and associated resources are managed, we are advancing multiple sustainable development objectives.