INTERFACES
Land management and the securing, use, control and governance of land-related natural resources is one of the key drivers for sustainable development in Africa. Sustainable land management should contribute to food security, to adaptation of agriculture and forestry to climate change, and to nature and environmental protection, and be organised in a way that contributes to social justice.
INTERFACES supports four BMFTR-funded regional projects in their endeavour to drive change for sustainable land management in sub-Saharan Africa.
This will be achieved through two fields of activities:
(1) impact-driven support activities which build on networking for the regional projects, science communication, social learning processes, and capacity development, and
(2) complementary transfer analyses that enable or facilitate the implementation as well as improve the relevance and outreach of the regional projects’ research-based findings.
All activities and thinking in INTERFACES are aligned around the question of how to achieve behaviour change, and guided by the principles of transdisciplinarity, social learning and decolonising knowledge production. All its activities try to be gender-responsive and socially inclusive.
On 15 October, we celebrate the International Day of Rural Women, recognising “the critical role and contribution of rural women, including indigenous women, in enhancing agricultural and rural development, improving food security and eradicating rural poverty”. The 2025 theme, “The Rise of Rural Women: Building Resilient Futures with Beijing+30”, underlines the inequality rural women are still confronted with and their vital role for sustainable development. Charlotte Reich / Katharina Molitor / Aiveen Donnelly
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Presentation: Dr. Peter Asare-Nuamah “Participatory Learning Platforms: Lessons for strengthening the upscale of sustainable land management and agricultural innovations in Ghana”
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Discussion: Dr. Peter Asare-Nuamah “Participatory Learning Platforms: Lessons for strengthening the upscale of sustainable land management and agricultural innovations in Ghana”
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The BMFTR funded programme INTERFACES and the regional projects COINS, DecLaRe, and InfoRange came together at the Tropentag Conference 2025 from 10 to 12 September in Bonn. Highlight was the pre-conference workshop organised by INTERFACES to identify effective pathways for bridging research and policy in the context of sustainable land development. This video shares the impressions of the workshop's keynote speaker Dr. Sieglinde Snapp from CIMMYT and from panellist Ms Maja Clausen from BMLEH.
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During the Status Seminar 2025 on Sustainable Land Management in Sub-Sahara Africa, held in Accra, Ghana, researchers gathered to exchange ideas and showcase ongoing work. As part of the seminar, a series of posters were created to present key insights and current progress.
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After 2 years a milestone in the INTERFACES project has been reached with the launch of the e-learning certificate ‘Research and Innovation for Sustainable Land Management in Africa’.
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At the 2025 Tropentag Conference in Bonn, INTERFACES researchers Peter Nuamah-Asare, David Anaafo and Tina Beuchelt, presented a poster in the session on Gender, power and access: Dynamics in land and food systems.
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At the 2025 Tropentag Conference in Bonn, INTERFACES researchers Tina Beuchelt, Constance Akurugu, Cecile Poitevin, Peter Nuamah-Asare and David Anaafo presented a poster in the session on Gender, power and access: Dynamics in land and food systems.
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This current blog summarises key messages from the pre-conference workshop on “Bridging the Gap: Strengthening Science-Policy Interfaces in Agricultural Research” as well as further highlights from the Tropentag Conference 2025 in Bonn, including winners from the Poster Awards and the Let’s Plant e.V. Photo Competition!
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In July 2017, the CAADP-XP4 organizations (FARA, AFAAS, CORAF, CCARDESA, CCARDESA, NAASRO) and other continental, regional and national agricultural stakeholders, rolled out the Science Agenda for Agriculture in Africa (S3A) as an African-owned instrument for achieving the CAADP Malabo target of doubling agricultural productivity by 2025. Knowledge Management was highlighted as one of the key drivers to the achievement of the CAADP Malabo targets. This led to the development of a continental knowledge management strategy including the FARADataInformS as an observatory for Africa Agriculture. Consequently, to achieve the objective on knowledge management and communication, FARA and the CAADP-XP4 partners jointly initiated the Knowledge Management for Agricultural Development (KM4AgD) Challenge in July 2021. The Accra Declaration is the outcome of the deliberations and resolutions at this maiden Conference. The Declaration comprises a remarkable set of actionable agricultural knowledge management goals that have been agreed upon by all participants. These goals show a more targeted approach to achieving sustainable agricultural prosperity for the continent both in the short and long-term.
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PhD candidate Dorcas Sanginga Alame presented her poster at the Tropentag Conference 2025 'Reconciling land system changes with planetary health' in Bonn. Out of the over 400 high quality poster submissions, Dorcas' poster was picked as one of five winners of the Tropentag Poster Awards. Congratulations Dorcas!
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The pictures are part of a Photovoice project carried out by PhD candidate Cecile Poitevin in the Northern region of Ghana and were presented as part of the “Lets-plant” photo competition organised by Let's Plant e.V. in cooperation with the Tropentag 2025 conference and the Crop Trust. Congratulations Cecile!
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The INTERFACES team is proud to present a powerful video created in collaboration with the farmers of Tarikpa. Women and men farmers share the challenges they face due to water scarcity during the dry season or in the event of drought linked to climate change, and urgently call for the renovation of their dam for food security. A special thanks to the farmers of Tarikpa, Muniru Bariya and Cecile Poitevin for video shooting and editing.
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This video features a statement by Ghana’s Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, Hon. Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, who encourages researchers to develop context appropriate technologies that support farmers in adopting smart and sustainable agricultural practices. It also provides an overview of the keynotes, workshops and the field trip. The status seminar took place from 2 to 6 June 2025.
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This policy brief provides research funders with practical guidance on good funding practices for transdisciplinary research (TDR) in Global North-South collaborations. It is based on a dialog between German and African actors as well as expert interviews. Funders are guided by the UN Sustainable Development Goals when investing in solution-oriented research for sustainable development in Africa. Complex sustainability challenges can be addressed by a transdisciplinary research approach which integrates knowledge from research and practice. Setting the funding conditions right is crucial to enable the creation of evidence-based, actionable knowledge through research-practice collaboration. To maximize the impact of transdisciplinary research, current funding frameworks must be adapted to the specific needs of such collaborative research.
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This open-access article by Peter Asare-Nuamah, David Anaafo, Tina Beuchelt and Constance A. Akurugu was published in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems on 1 July 2025. Follow the link to view the full article.
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ZEF Working Paper Series, ISSN 1864-6638 Center for Development Research, University of Bonn ZEF Working Papers are intended to stimulate discussion among researchers, practitioners and policy makers on current and emerging development issues. The papers are not peer-reviewed. They reflect work in progress and should be regarded as preprints.
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This open-access research article by David Anaafo, Peter Asare-Nuamah and Tina Beuchelt was published in Development in Practice on 12 June 2025. Follow the link below to view the full article.
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During the Status Seminar 2025 on Sustainable Land Management in Sub-Sahara Africa, held in Accra, Ghana, researchers gathered to exchange ideas and showcase ongoing work. As part of the seminar, a series of posters were created to present key insights and current progress.
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During the Status Seminar 2025 on Sustainable Land Management in Sub-Sahara Africa, held in Accra, Ghana, researchers gathered to exchange ideas and showcase ongoing work. As part of the seminar, a series of posters were created to present key insights and current progress.
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Residents of Koduzhegu, a community in Ghana’s Northern Region, share their daily struggles with accessing clean drinking water. In this video, community members describe how they depend on dams and dugouts, often shared with animals, especially during the dry season when taps do not flow. Women and children bear the brunt of the crisis, walking long distances to fetch water or relying on expensive water deliveries by tricycle. The video features firsthand accounts of the challenges and local appeals for support to improve water access.
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Original post on IDOS Blogs Senior researcher at IDOS, agricultural economist and German representative on the UNCCD Science and Technology Committee, Dr. Michael Bruentrup reflects on last week’s negotiations in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
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In this blog an annual overview of 2024 is giving including insights and highlights from across the projects as well as an outlook into activities for 2025.
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This current blog, prepared by Dr. Peter Asare-Nuamah shares insights from a panel discussion held at the 25th Anniversary International Conference of the Center for Development Research (ZEF) University of Bonn, to shed light on implementation-oriented research.
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This current blog, prepared by Dorcas Sanginga Alame from the University of Bonn, shares her experiences at the GFFA Science Slam, which she won with her story of 3 farmers, of land, and of a future shaped by access to resources. Link to livestream recording GFFA 2025 Science Slam ((c) BMEL)
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This current blog, co-authored by Kingnidé Wilfrid Adjimoti and Aiveen Donnelly, shares a recent project highlight of an official UNCCD COP16 Side Event, which was jointly organised by the INTERFACES team at IDOS and the GEO LDN, hosted by the University of Energy and Natural Resources in Ghana and run by GIZ.
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This current blog prepared by Dr. Eefje Aarnoudse, shares insights on good practice in transdisciplinary research funding on the bases of a workshop series with experts from the global North and South, culminating in a panel session as the International Transdisciplinary Conference in Utrecht.
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This current blog summarises key messages from the pre-conference workshop at Tropentag 2024 in Vienna and invites all workshop participants and friends of the BMBF funded projects to join in upcoming Knowledge Cafes.
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In celebration of the 30th anniversary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification and in recognition of the World Desertification and Drought Day, the INTERFACES team at IDOS and the NGO “Let’s Plant!” co-organised a panel discussion and interactive market place on 18 June 2024. This evening event gave space for organisations and people engaged in combating desertification, soil degradation, and drought to come together and exchange ideas, share their experiences, and build connections.
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Presentation: Prof. Eike Lüdeling “A decision focus for impact-oriented agricultural research”
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Discussion: Prof. Eike Lüdeling “A decision focus for impact-oriented agricultural research”
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June 2024 has been particularly eventful, as members of the INTERFACES project hosted many insightful events, but also participated in several key conferences dedicated to addressing some of the most pressing global issues.
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This first blog of 2024 will introduce the projects and summarise a selection of highlights from the past year along with some examples of planned activities for the next year.
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Discussion: Dr. Désiré Tchigankong Noubissie “Functions of a toolkit supporting the implementation of the guidelines on the development of curricula on Land governance in Africa”
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Residents of Chegu decry neglect by MP: Threaten to boycott elections. Residents of the Chegu community describe the severe challenges they face due to a lack of essential public services. In this video, community members share their lived experiences with inadequate access to clean water, poor road conditions, limited educational infrastructure, and the absence of electricity and healthcare support.
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Farmers in the Jagrido community in northern Ghana recount the devastating impact of an extended drought during the 2024–2025 farming season. In this video, local farmers describe how delayed rains, followed by intense flooding, destroyed crops, dried water sources, and left them facing major losses. Interviews with men and women in the community highlight the challenges in maintaining their livelihoods and food security. The footage captures their testimonies and concerns as they face an uncertain farming future.
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Presentation: Dr. Désiré Tchigankong Noubissie “Functions of a toolkit supporting the implementation of the guidelines on the development of curricula on Land governance in Africa”
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Discussion: Dr. Erin McGuire “On Scaling, GenderUp approach etc.”.
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Presentation: Dr. Erin McGuire “On Scaling, GenderUp approach etc.”.
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Discussion: Prof. Andrew Reid Bell "Agent-Based Modelling and Rural Livelihood Decision-Making".
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Presentation: Prof. Andrew Reid Bell "Agent-Based Modelling and Rural Livelihood Decision-Making".
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Presentation: Prof. Akua Britwum "Gendered Tensions in Rural Livelihoods and Development Interventions".
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Discussion: Prof. Akua Britwum "Gendered Tensions in Rural Livelihoods and Development Interventions".
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The webinar "Healthy land, healthy city: Rural-urban solutions for land, climate, and equity", held on March 6, 2025 features diverse voices from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Europe, united in rethinking land development for a more sustainable and equitable future that includes women and marginalized groups.
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ZEF Working Paper Series, ISSN 1864-6638 Center for Development Research, University of Bonn ZEF Working Papers are intended to stimulate discussion among researchers, practitioners and policy makers on current and emerging development issues. The papers are not peer-reviewed. They reflect work in progress and should be regarded as preprints.
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Online event to commemorate the 25th November - the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women organized by ZEF / INTERFACES / ZEF Gender Group
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Presentation: Dr. Eva Weltzien "Why gender matters for seed system dynamics: case of sorghum in Mali".
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Presentation: Dr. Eva Weltzien "Why gender matters for seed system dynamics: case of sorghum in Mali".
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Discussion: Dr. Eefje Aarnoudse "Rethinking research funding: What are appropriate funding conditions for transdisciplinary research in Africa?”
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Presentation: Dr. Eefje Aarnoudse "Rethinking research funding: What are appropriate funding conditions for transdisciplinary research in Africa?”
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This video presents different voices in a dialogue on appropriate funding conditions for transdisciplinary research in Africa. It captures first-hand impressions from a workshop series that brought together research funders, researchers and practitioners from Germany and Africa to discuss the topic. The workshop series was organised in 2024 as part of the INTERFACES project. The video is a joint production of IDOS, FARA and H-BRS.
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Discussion: Benjamin Abugri and Aiveen Donnelly "Communities of Practice & Learning - An Essential Platform for Sustainable Land Management in African Agriculture".
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Discussion: Carina Lange and Dr. Damghane Oudanou “Minodu – experiences from fostering local sustainable development through technology and research”
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Presentation: Benjamin Abugri and Aiveen Donnelly "Communities of Practice & Learning - An Essential Platform for Sustainable Land Management in African Agriculture".
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Presentation: Carina Lange and Dr. Damghane Oudanou “Minodu – experiences from fostering local sustainable development through technology and research”
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Mahounakpon Wilfried Tossou, a PhD student from the Univesrity of Parakou working on the DecLaRe projects, sits down for an interview with Miss Oroudjo Amina, a local cheese maker, to discuss the traditional method of making cheese and the new approach with a different coagulant.
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Sewanou Frimence A. Tossou, a PhD student from the University of Parakou, working on the DecLaRe project, explains the process of making local cheese "Wangatchi".
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The BMBF funded programme INTERFACES and the four regional projects, COINS, DecLaRe, InfoRange and Minodu came together at the Tropentag Conference 2024 from 11 to 13 September in Vienna. Highlight was the pre-conference workshop organised by INTERFACES. This workshop saw an exchange from across the BMBF funded regional projects on sustainable land management in Africa under the FONA umbrella, on the various steps of knowledge co-creation and management in agriculture. One special aspect was deepened to give impulses for discussion: The African Knowledge Management for Agricultural Development (KM4AgD) system provided by the Forum for African Research in Agriculture (FARA)—the apex continental organisation responsible for coordinating and advocating for agricultural research for development, including insights from three of this year’s participants.
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Discussion: Dr. Jonas Meier "Co-Developing Innovations for Sustainable Land Management”
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Presentation: Dr. Jonas Meier "Co-Developing Innovations for Sustainable Land Management”
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INTERFACES is an accompanying project that supports the four research projects DecLaRe, Minodu, InfoRange and COINS in driving change for sustainable land management in Sub-Saharan Africa.
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By co-developing a scientific framework, the project aims to forecast, implement, and monitor effective nutrition interventions in Vietnam and Myanmar.
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Impact pathway of ISFM as a sustainable intensification practice that can improve soil fertility status and increase productivity and farmers’ profits on existing land.
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Defining research objectives with non-academic and societal actors is essential to the transdisciplinary research process. This is a crucial building block to address increasingly complex societal problems, particularly in the domain of sustainable development
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Identifying and implementing adaptation strategies is vital to build resilience against against socio-economic challenges, particularly in vulnerable communities affected by climate change.
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Our research in Northern Ghana is based around three hypotheses, aiming to identify feasible solutions for change.
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The INTERFACES project adopts a social learning approach for the development of gender-responsive theories of change to aid in the dissemination and uptake of sustainable land management innovations.
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Presentation: Prof. Dr. Andreas Bürkert "Interdisciplinary Approach to Strengthen Land Resilience in Sub-Saharan Africa”
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Discussion: Prof. Dr. Andreas Bürkert "Interdisciplinary Approach to Strengthen Land Resilience in Sub-Saharan Africa”
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Knowledge is at the heart of sustainable development. Today’s societies are characterized by a predominant and still growing share of knowledge work at all levels of institutions. Knowledge is essential because it supports decision-making and evidence-based planning and increases institutional credibility. It is critical for research organizations because research is vital to generating knowledge.
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Presentation: Prof. Dr. Brigitte Kaufmann and Dr. Hussein Wario "Sustainable land management in sub‐Saharan Africa: Improving livelihoods through local research”
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Presentation: Prof. Dr. Brigitte Kaufmann and Dr. Hussein Wario "Sustainable land management in sub‐Saharan Africa: Improving livelihoods through local research”
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The forum encompasses all African and non-African stakeholders committed to enhancing Africa’s agricultural productivity, competitiveness, and markets to help achieve the national, regional, continental and global SDGs for poverty and hunger reduction, and environmental sustainability. A large part of knowledge management in INTERFACES will be based on FARA’s proven methodologies and platforms and will systematically merge the regional projects’ findings with other processes and stakeholders involved in sustainable land management in Sub-Sahara Africa. Press Releases
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Presentation: Dr. Frederike Klümper "Empowering communities for a just transition towards land degradation neutrality: evidence from Benin, Kenya, Madagascar and Malawi"
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Discussion: Dr. Frederike Klümper "Empowering communities for a just transition towards land degradation neutrality: evidence from Benin, Kenya, Madagascar and Malawi"
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The INTERFACES project backs four regional ventures run by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and aimed at promoting sustainable land management in sub-Saharan Africa. Its mission focuses on developing change strategies to boost innovation and implementation processes. Link to article below.
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Fostering new farming practices and innovation adoption among female and male smallholder farmers, including marginalised groups requires addressing the economic, environmental and socio-cultural dimensions of development and contribute to social justice and gender equity. This is not a self-evident process as some innovations have contributed to adverse environmental or social effects, resulting in low adoption rates and unsuccessful scaling of innovations. In this briefing series we highlight the reasons for low adoption rates among smallholder farmers and how gender-responsive innovation adoption can be fostered.
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Discussion: Dr. Constance Awinpoka Akurugu “Gender-based violence in northern Ghana and the role of traditional leaders in combating it”
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Presentation: Dr. Constance Awinpoka Akurugu “Gender-based violence in northern Ghana and the role of traditional leaders in combating it”
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Presentation: Dr. Till Below "Towards climate resilient agri‐food systems in Africa: Providing farmers with climate data for informed decision-making”
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Discussion: Dr. Till Below "Towards climate resilient agri‐food systems in Africa: Providing farmers with climate data for informed decision-making”
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Visual Report and Documentary of INTERFACES: COINS & DecLaRe Workshop in Tamale, Ghana organized and facilitated by INTERFACES Implementers: FARA, WASCAL, UBIDS, ZEF, IDOS & INRES
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Visual Report and Documentary of INTERFACES: COINS & DecLaRe Workshop Tolon District Field Visit in Tamale, Ghana organized and facilitated by INTERFACES Implementers: FARA, WASCAL, UBIDS, ZEF, IDOS & INRES
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Presentation: Juliane Wiesenhütter and Nina Bisom "United for land - Partners, networks and contributions from a German perspective"
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Discussion: Juliane Wiesenhütter and Nina Bisom "United for land - Partners, networks and contributions from a German perspective"
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In the video, the project leader Tina Beuchelt presents the project, which explores pathways to support sustainable land management in Africa.
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Discussion: Prof. Dr. Anna‐Katharina Hornidge "Research for the global common Good. Science as a World-making Activity"
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Presentation: Prof. Dr. Anna‐Katharina Hornidge "Research for the global common Good. Science as a World-making Activity"
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Discussion: Dr. David Anaafo "Will customary land rights hold in Ghana"
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Presentation: Dr. David Anaafo "Will customary land rights hold in Ghana"
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Presentation: Dr. Heike Baumüller "Digitalization in Agriculture: Potentials and Pitfalls"
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Discussion: Dr. Heike Baumüller "Digitalization in Agriculture: Potentials and Pitfalls"
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The German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) funds transdisciplinary research on sustainable land management in order to improve livelihoods in sub-Saharan Africa.
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This video was taken during the first Status Seminar held in hybrid form (first day only) and online 26-28 April 2023 at IDOS in Bonn.
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The BMBF funded programme INTERFACES and the four regional projects, COINS, DecLaRe, InfoRange and Minodu came together at the Tropentag Conference from the 20th to 22nd of September in Berlin. Highlight was the pre-conference workshop organised by INTERFACES.
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University Bonn - Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation (INRES)
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University Bonn - Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation (INRES)
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Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg - University of Applied Sciences, International Centre for Sustainable Development (IZNE)
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University of East Anglia and Norwich Institute for Sustainable Development (NISD)
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University Bonn - Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation (INRES)
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