International development is rife with buzzwords. New concepts spring to the fore — many of them refashioned or remarketed versions of old concepts. They flood panel discussions, procurement orders and program design documents — that is, until the next “big thing” emerges to take their place.
Will “landscapes” be that next trendy development fad? Or will it be a framework capable of assembling a broad coalition of actors around a clearer vision on how to invest in sustainable development where past efforts have failed?
Advocates of a “landscapes” approach are looking for ways to integrate historically disparate expert communities, particularly forestry and agriculture. By orienting strategies and programs around the landscape as a whole — rather than around certain individual features such as forests, farms or carbon sinks — practitioners hope they can arrive at some clearer descriptions and indicators for what “sustainable development” looks like at a larger scale.