Since signing a Host Country Agreement in 2017, CIFOR-ICRAF has been working to support the Government of Benin in the areas forestry, agroforestry, land restoration and climate change.  

Specific research areas include: providing a baseline for soil and land health; assessing the impact of agricultural practices on key indicators of soil and land health; assessing soil and land health across time; identifying ecological constraints affecting land (agricultural) productivity and soil organic carbon dynamics; producing moderate- to high-resolution maps of soil organic carbon, soil erosion prevalence, and soil pH; compiling and sharing collected data with stakeholders; and collaborating with other key project activities for capacity development and scaling-up.  

On climate change, especially ecosystem-based adaptation, our focus is on finalizing and validating the Ecosystem-Based Adaptation Forest Management Plans and protocols, supporting project monitoring, evaluation and learning systems at the national level, and general international technical assistance on agroforestry technologies and training. Collaboration with the National agricultural research system is also being built and strengthened.