• The world is running out of sand! We have assessed the business case for beneficial re-use of sediment from the Tuyamuyun Hydroelectric Complex (THC) in Uzbekistan. The case is strong and offers a critical entry-point for helping secure water, energy and food security, along with disaster risk resilience within the Amu Darya river basin. The study draws on the NIA nexus toolkit and further project context may be found here.

• Agroecology offers hope amid one of the worst food security crises that Haiti has known. We undertook a comparative economic analysis of agroecological versus conventional farming in the Northern Plateau of Haiti. Check out the policy brief,  study report, video and presentation of study results.

• The elaboration of the ECON-WOCAT dataset, dashboard and guidance reports. The dataset fills a critical gap in information on the costs of investing in land-based natural capital. It covers 507 Sustainable Land Management (SLM) technologies across 11 land use types and nine climate zones for 75 countries of the world.

• An analysis of land degradation hotspots and drivers of land de/regeneration for a prominent agro-business leader within key supply chains (rice, cotton, wheat, etc.) across ten countries. We use state-of-the-art global datasets and earth observations built in a custom-made python notebook using Google Earth Engine and statistical modelling techniques. In the next project phase (Q2 2023), we will couple ground-based and big data to develop predictive models of yields and profitability of regenerative farming under various climatic conditions.

• A valuation methodology and FAO publication on presumed drylands. By accounting for feedback loops between land use productivity, climate change, and tree canopy cover, we assessed the value of preserving ecosystems within the presumed drylands of Cerrado and the Miombo–Mopane woodlands.Chapters 4 to 7.

• Landscape restoration as a source of Green Infrastructure for the World Bank Group. Together with Hydroc, we are demonstrating that landscape restoration can provide efficient Green Infrastructure to reduce sedimentation of major hydropower dams in Tajikistan whilst providing significant livelihood benefits (publication underway).

We have also been contributing to:

• Sarah Robinson’s and RECC Caucasus’ impressive effort to develop a National Pasture Management Policy Document in Georgia, which will set the stage for Georgia’s first law on pastures and

• The Economics of Land Degradation science group. The ELD initiative is a global science-policy initiative that works to integrate the true value of land and its ecosystem services in public decision-making and to support policy reforms with the aim of boosting investments for sustainable land management. The science group is helping to guide the scientific and technical aspects of ELD programmes and its work streams.

Well into the new year already, we look forward to continuing to do our bit to promote healthy, productive, climate-resilient soils and ensure efficient management of natural resources, at local and global scales.

Thanks to all our collaborators and new friends #CAREC, #Deltares, #SanjayGiri, #D-sediment, #ELD, #GIZGNS, #GroundswellInternational, #PDL, #Hydroc #WBG #MilleniumInstitute and many more.