This short brief, From Research to Results: Greener Pathways for the SADC Region, looks at how the prevalence of highly mono-cultural economies within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) — over half the countries in the region have fewer than eight sectors accounting for 75 per cent of exports — primarily agrarian or dependent on mineral resources, have shaped the selection process of five priority policy intersections which define the region’s social, environmental and economic development:

• Mineral Extractive Development and Investments in Health;
• Food Security and Education;
• Water Security and Energy Access;
• Rural Growth and Development anchored in Natural Resource Management;
• Climate Resilience and Social Protection

The brief is part of the CDKN project, A Green Guide (GG): Aligning political and social contexts for Green and Inclusive Growth, which takes forward the notion of 'greening' as a process and not just an outcome, and aims to respond to growing calls for strategic thinking, communications tools and guidance documents to strengthen the understanding of linkages between climate change and development at a very practical level. This brief highlights opportunities for climate change mitigation and adaptation as well as relevant good practices in the global South, incorporating risk management strategies within decision-making processes looks at the final stages of the project.

Further reading:

Project homepage: A Green Guide to align political and social contexts for green and inclusive growth
Research paper: Locating the Policy Space for Inclusive Green Growth within the SADC Extractive Sector
Policy brief: Going Green with Equity
Policy brief: Considering Growth and Equity in SADC Today