The manual was created specifically for use in the Western Kenya Smallholder Agricultural Carbon project, managed by the Swedish NGO Vi Agroforestry, which is the test case for the first Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS) methodology for generating carbon credits by building organic matter in agricultural soils. The project aims to provide support to farmers as they implement the sustainable agricultural and management (SALM) practices which generate the carbon credits within the project.

In this chapter, results of recent research conducted in the northern Ethiopian region of Tigray, which has experienced severe land degradation are synthesized. This paper highlights the technological and institutional factors determining the adoption of natural resource conservation at both the household and the community levels.

Technology will help to address the challenges for sustainable forestry in the 21st century. Some of the challenges will include the shift of production from native forest to plantations in areas of comparative advantage, more efficient processing delinking end-use products from raw wood characteristics, increased demand, better information technologies to support decision makers, and more options for conserving biodiversity.

The CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE) combines the resources of 11 CGIAR centers and numerous international, regional and national partners to provide an integrated approach to natural resource management research. This program is led by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI). This presentation provides an overview of the thematic areas that the research is categorized into as well as the focal regions where we work.