Our socioeconomic field studies in the Zambezi region of Namibia show that the agricultural system is characterized by extremely low diversity, not providing sufficient nutrients to ensure food security for a growing population. We find that programs to protect wildlife and forests are not harmonizing well with smallholder farming. While politicians and external stakeholders pay attention to biodiversity in protected areas, they largely ignore agrobiodiversity. Agricultural policy in particular is more likely to limit resilient landscape development, as shown, for example, by targeted subsidies for maize cultivation. Regarding the much-discussed link between development and conservation, existing approaches such as community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) and joint management of fisheries resources do not take due account of the importance of benefit sharing and food security. The economic incentives provided by these systems in the form of hunting quotas or recreational angling operations neither are sufficient to halt the progressive loss of biodiversity nor off er alternatives to the exploitation of natural resources on which the local population highly depends. The paper discusses selected research findings and suggests a more holistic approach to landscape management.