The main aim of this study is to review the environmental and socioeconomic sustainability of the gum arabic farming system in central Sudan. A further aim is to analyse some of the main factors influencing production in recent decades in order to understand the future trade potential and consequently the smallholder livelihood. The study shows that end-user imports of gum arabic have increased during recent decades. Gum arabic is mainly for uses such as soft drinks, confectionary, and pharmaceuticals. However, even with this increased demand the production in Sudan, the main country of production, is declining. The producers, mainly smallholders, suffer from fluctuating prices. If the gum arabic farming system should be able to provide the environmental benefits of improved soil fertility and the socioeconomic benefits of risk spreading and dry season income opportunities, the prices paid to smallholders must be stabilized at a fair level, otherwise a shift to other crops or practices might take place.

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Livelihood diversification can be crucial for poor rural households in the African Sahel. Migration is a common diversification strategy during the dry season, but there are also areas with significant strategies on the farm, such as incomes from gum and resins. Sudan is a country where the income from gum arabic, the gum from the Acacia senegal tree, has played a large economic role for smallholders for generations, but there are signs of a declining production which is detrimental if people have no alternative incomes. The results showed that in parts of the country, the 1984 drought caused an event-driven change resulting in a discontinuation of production. However, in other parts of the country, the agricultural system providing gum arabic proved to be more resilient to the drought and the incomes from gum arabic still play a large role. The results illustrated a complexity of driving forces, regional differences and a large variability in incomes between households. Some causes were indirect such as prices, drought, precipitation and locust, whereas the others were direct and hence more controllable by households. This study underlined the direct causes, such as how labour input is prioritised between livelihood activities, which have not been given as much attention in previous literature. Secondly, the need for a holistic view of livelihoods is underlined in order to understand the future of gum arabic production. Empirical data were collected from extensive fieldwork.

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Today's expansion and densification of cities, where more space is being impermeably surfaced by grey infrastructure, means an increased risk of flooding. An urban space with reduced green areas is less resilient to increased temperatures. In dealing with this, research has pointed to the complementarity of Nature-based Solutions (NBS) in contributing to more resilient and cost-efficient flood management. NBS do not only serve to reduce risk for flooding and drought, they also provide additional sustainability values, such as strengthening ecosystem services through increased biodiversity and recreation opportunities. In many circumstances, combining this NBS with traditional grey infrastructure can provide next generation solutions that enhance system performance and better protect communities. The study has focussed on subjects argued as central to provide a business value for upstream landowners to perform NBS measures. Results of the Workshop on Nature Based Solutions for flood and drought prevention organized in May 2019 in Gothenburg substantially contributed this study. The main objective of the study is to propose developments that can lead to business models and financial instruments that support the adoption of upstream water retention through Nature-based Solutions based primarily on research from the Västra Götaland region of Sweden.