Dr. Tolbert Thomas Jallah Jr., Executive Director of the Faith & Justice Network (FJN), is attending the Second International Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development+20 (ICARRD+20) in Colombia.<\/span><\/p>The global conference brings together governments, rural organizations, civil society groups, and other key stakeholders to deliberate on:<\/span><\/p>Equity in land access, Rural justice, Agrarian reform<\/span><\/p>Sustainable rural development Dr. Jallah\u2019s participation reflects FJN\u2019s commitment to advancing land equity, social justice, and sustainable development both locally and globally. On February 27, 2026, at the sidelines of the International Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ICARRD+20) in Cartagena, Colombia, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) delivered a compelling call to re-center global land governance around collective tenure systems and agroecology.<\/span><\/p>\u00a0<\/p>
Speaking during the gathering,<\/span> AFSA emphasized that collective land tenure systems\u2014where land is owned, managed, or governed by communities rather than individuals\u2014are essential for protecting biodiversity, strengthening climate resilience, and safeguarding cultural heritage.<\/span><\/p>\u00a0<\/p>
Collective Tenure: A Stewardship Ethic Rooted in Faith and Culture<\/span><\/p>AFSA underscored that for many African faith and Indigenous communities, land is not a commodity to be traded, but an ancestral heritage held in trust for future generations. This stewardship ethic encourages:<\/span><\/p>\u2022 Sustainable harvesting<\/span><\/p>\u2022 Forest conservation<\/span><\/p>\u2022 Soil protection<\/span><\/p>By contrast, privatized land regimes often incentivize short-term profit maximization through logging, monocropping, and land speculation\u2014practices that accelerate biodiversity loss and ecological degradation.<\/span><\/p>\u00a0<\/p>
Customary Governance as Conservation Framework<\/span><\/p>AFSA highlighted that collective systems frequently operate under customary laws that function as effective conservation mechanisms, including:<\/span><\/p>\u2022 Rotational farming<\/span><\/p>\u2022 Protection of sacred forests<\/span><\/p>\u2022 Seasonal restrictions on hunting and fishing<\/span><\/p>\u00a0<\/p>
Such traditional governance systems allow communities to manage forests, wetlands, and grazing lands holistically. Rather than fragmenting landscapes into fenced parcels, collective tenure maintains ecological connectivity across territories.<\/span><\/p>\u00a0<\/p>
Evidence from multiple African contexts shows that Indigenous and community-managed lands often experience lower deforestation rates than even state-protected areas\u2014demonstrating that conservation is strongest where communities have secure rights and cultural ties to their land.<\/span><\/p>\u00a0<\/p>
Bridging Food Sovereignty and Biodiversity Through Agroecology<\/span><\/p>AFSA stressed that agroecology must be central\u2014not peripheral\u2014to future land governance frameworks.<\/span><\/p>\u00a0<\/p>
Agroecology integrates crops, trees, livestock, and local knowledge into diversified food systems. This approach:<\/span><\/p>\u2022 Reduces reliance on chemical inputs<\/span><\/p>\u2022 Protects soil organisms<\/span><\/p>\u2022 Safeguards water systems<\/span><\/p>\u2022 Enhances nutritional diversity<\/span><\/p>\u00a0<\/p>
By aligning food production with ecological processes, agroecology becomes the operational arm of biodiversity protection.<\/span><\/p>\u00a0<\/p>
Climate Resilience in an Era of Uncertainty<\/span><\/p>In the face of intensifying droughts and floods due to climate change, agroecological systems provide resilience through:<\/span><\/p>\u2022 Crop diversity<\/span><\/p>\u2022 Agroforestry<\/span><\/p>\u2022 Soil regeneration<\/span><\/p>These practices strengthen carbon sequestration while restoring degraded landscapes, ensuring both environmental sustainability and food security.<\/span><\/p>\u00a0<\/p>
A New Vision for Land Governance<\/span><\/p>AFSA\u2019s advocacy campaign calls for transformative policy shifts that:<\/span><\/p>\u2022 Legally recognize customary land rights<\/span><\/p>\u2022 Provide incentives for regenerative agricultural practices<\/span><\/p>\u2022 Redirect subsidies away from industrial monocultures<\/span><\/p>\u2022 Integrate agroecology into national agricultural policies<\/span><\/p>\u00a0<\/p>
The organization urged policymakers to move beyond narrow yield-per-hectare metrics and instead prioritize:<\/span><\/p>\u2022 Ecosystem health<\/span><\/p>\u2022 Nutritional diversity<\/span><\/p>\u2022 Social equity<\/span><\/p>\u2022 Carbon sequestration<\/span><\/p>\u00a0<\/p>
A Governance Philosophy for the Future<\/span><\/p>In closing, AFSA affirmed that agroecology is not merely a farming technique\u2014it is a governance philosophy. It redefines land as a living system rather than a production unit.<\/span><\/p>\u00a0<\/p>
If collective tenure protects biodiversity structurally, agroecology operationalizes that protection in practice.<\/span><\/p>\u00a0<\/p>
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The message from Cartagena was clear: Protect our Land. Restore our Soil.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t