Driving policy coherence and strengthening institutions to advance socio-ecological gains

Thriving Landscapes, Vibrant Futures Blog 3 of 4

CGIAR August 14 2025

Achieving socio-ecological gains at the landscape level requires coherent policies and robust institutions. Recognizing this, CGIAR’s Multifunctional Landscapes Science Program (MFL SP) collaborates with partners to align policies and strengthen institutions at sub-national, national and regional levels. The program builds on previous CGIAR and partner innovations in the policy arena, co-generating evidence and tools with policymakers at national and sub-national levels to inform more inclusive, effective policies, strategies, and investments. These coordinated efforts create an enabling environment for systemic policy and institutional change, aligning agriculture with biodiversity conservation and socio-economic development objectives.  This involves analyzing political economy and governance structures, facilitating science–policy dialogues, and designing institutional arrangements that encourage multifunctional land management at scale. In MFL SP’s Theory of Change, analytical work on policy and institutions is coupled with capacity sharing and stakeholder engagement to identify “what needs to change and how” to sustain innovations beyond pilot sites.

Importantly, the MFL SP focuses on breaking silos: aligning agricultural policies with environmental goals, ensuring local institutions (such as water user associations or forest committees) have the capacity to manage resources, and fostering cross-sector coordination. By addressing the “rules of the game”, from formal laws to informal norms, the program creates a policy landscape where sustainable practices can flourish rather than be stymied. The following examples illustrate how CGIAR’s Multifunctional Landscapes program and its partners are advancing policy coherence and institutional innovation alongside field projects.

See more: https://www.cgiar.org/news-events/news/driving-policy-coherence-and-strengthening-institutions-to-advance-socio-ecological-gains/