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A new tool “The Solutions-tree: Solutions to halting deforestation – through sustainable agrifood systems transformation” which aims to help countries fight deforestation, was previewed today together with other innovations co-created with African countries at an event co-hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (MAFF), the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), the UN-REDD‘ African Forest Forum (AFF) initiative, at the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9). The tool is aligned with FAO’s efforts to collaborate with countries, international organizations and institutions to demonstrate how co-created knowledge and cross-sectoral collaboration can play a key role in halting deforestation while boosting economies, livelihoods and sustainable agriculture.
While deforestation rate decreased between 2010 and 2020, Africa – and the world – still faces an major challenge in overcoming this complex and persistent crisis, rooted in range of direct and underlying factors, including governance issues, competition for land among economic sectors, poverty, and insecure land tenure.
Key solutions to halt and reverse deforestation lie in transforming how key commodities (in the case of Africa, especially meat and crops such as cassava, maize, and cocoa) are produced, along with strong engagement and capacity strengthening of small-scale farmers.
Developed by FAO, the Solutions-tree provides governments and partners with an innovative framework to identify, prioritize, and implement cross-sectoral actions that address direct and underlying drivers of deforestation. So far, it has been trialed in Benin and Guinea and will be officially launched in October 2025.
While opening the TICAD9 side-event, Alue Dohong, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific, underlined the urgency of collective action: “Deforestation is one of the greatest challenges to Africa’s sustainable development. Halting deforestation is not just an environmental goal, it is an imperative for Africa’s food security, climate resilience, biodiversity protection, and socio-economic development,” he said.
“We have to collectively move away from ‘agriculture versus forestry’ trade-offs”, said Serena Fortuna, FAO Senior Forestry Officer and UN-REDD Management Group Member, “and work with governments and communities to co-create and scale up catalytic and transformational solutions that keep forests standing while boosting food security, rural economies and contribute to achieving climate targets”.
African countries are proving that this quadruple win can be a reality.
Working together
At the event, partners and panelists from across Africa showcased how cross-sectoral collaboration is advancing efforts to stop deforestation.
Awessou Kohomlan Beranger, Senior Officer from Benin’s Ministry of Living Environment and Transport, presented how Benin is using the Solutions-tree to shape its REDD+ strategy and how it boosted a systemic approach. He highlighted how participatory science and collaborative approaches play a decisive role in guiding countries towards more sustainable and resilient development pathways. Roselyn Fosuah Adjei, Director of Ghana’s Forestry Commission Training Centre, shared Ghana’s experience in identifying cost-effective REDD+ solutions. She emphasized that holistic cost-benefit analysis for REDD+ can help stakeholders recognize the value of forests in climate finance and shared benefits. Professor Labode Popoola, Executive Secretary of the African Forest Forum, highlighted the need to align forest strategies with agriculture and food security goals, stressing that REDD+ is central to protecting forests and ensuring a livable future for all. ITTO’s project in Côte d’Ivoire showcased agroforestry as a key tool to protect forests while empowering women across Africa.
In closing, panelists shared a common message in the lead-up to COP30: Africa is proving that reducing deforestation and strengthening agriculture are intertwined and they are not unattainable goals. But world leaders’ commitments must now be translated into concrete action, if not at the COP in the heart of the Amazon, when?
FAO also highlighted its broader forestry work in Africa. The Green Climate Fund-funded PROMIRE project in Côte d’Ivoire, for example, has trained over 5 000 farmers to adopt sustainable cocoa production and has rehabilitated degraded lands to convert into agroforestry systems.
Kochi Kiyotaka, Director of the International Forestry Cooperation Office at MAFF, closed the event by reiterating the importance of working across agriculture and forestry to find sustainable solutions.
The Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), led by the Government of Japan since 1993, provides a global platform for African countries and partners to advance sustainable development, strengthen resilience, and build partnerships to achieve shared prosperity.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO): Regional Office for Africa.