Catalysing inclusive growth and climate resilience in Africa’s productive landscapes

A SUSTAIN story of resilience in economies, people and nature

The air was heavy with the heat of a Mozambican afternoon, the kind that makes the horizon shimmer. In the centre of a small village in Barué District, we gathered under the wide shade of a mango tree — the natural meeting place. Representatives from IUCN sat side by side with partners from ADEM, SDAE local extension officers, and farmers from the Samora Machel cooperative. The hum of conversation rose and fell like the wind — talk of soil health and of rainfall that no longer came when expected.

Among those seated was Sofia Nhamunda, a farmer from the cooperative. 

The rains, she said, arrive later each year, and when they do, they are brief and unpredictable. “We are learning to live with less water,” she reflected quietly, “but sometimes I wonder how long we can adapt.” Around her, others nodded — the same uncertainty echoed in the faces around the circle.

As we listened beneath the mango tree, it became clear that resilience is not an abstract term. It lives in the stories of farmers like Sofia, in the ingenuity of communities testing organic pesticides made from papaya leaves and tobacco, and in the collective will to protect springs and restore the land.

What makes a community and a landscape resilient? Is it simply the ability to recover after drought or loss, or something deeper — the capacity to anticipate, respond, and reimagine? Perhaps resilience lies in the quiet determination of people who bend but do not break, who recover but also transform.

SUSTAIN in action

Yet today, resilience in many parts of the world is quietly eroding. Decades of overexploitation of forests, soils, fish stocks, and water resources — coupled with unsustainable farming practices have weakened ecosystems that once sustained communities. These cycles are further compounded by weak governance, limited transparency, and deep social inequalities. Across Mozambique and Tanzania, where agriculture contributes roughly 30% of national GDP and employs between 65% and 75% of the workforce, the stakes are particularly high.

It was in response to these intertwined challenges that the SUSTAIN Initiative — Sustainability and Inclusion Strategy for Growth Corridors in Africa — was born. Led by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and implemented on the ground in collaboration with ADEM, AWF and SNV, SUSTAIN works to transform the way landscapes are managed and governed. Rather than addressing isolated problems, it looks at the entire landscape — the rivers that cut through it, the farms that depend on them, and the communities whose lives are tied to both.

SUSTAIN works across five key landscapes in Mozambique and Tanzania (see map). Each landscape tells its own story, but together they form a living mosaic of how nature and people can thrive when managed as one system.

To turn this vision into practice, SUSTAIN’s efforts are guided by three pathways of change: 

• Enabling inclusive governance and equity; 

• Scaling up sustainable agriculture and innovative nature-based solutions; 

• Catalysing investment.

Each pathway addresses distinct challenges, yet their impacts are deeply interconnected. Together, they are shaping resilient futures — where communities are empowered, ecosystems restored, and growth and sustainability walk hand in hand.

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