Livelihoods & Enterprises
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Trees are much more than the lungs of the world (commentary)
There are two important answers to the question “why do we need more trees in farmland?” One is global and one is local. Globally, trees are often recognized as the ‘lungs of the world’ because they exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide with the atmosphere. However, this is an understatement. If we think in these terms, […] Continue Reading
How do you stop the desert? Niger may have the answer
“I flew from Ethiopia, and you can see it when you fly over the border from Chad to Niger,” says Dr. Kelechi Eleanya, an instructor at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. “From the plane window I noticed the colors shift quite rapidly from warm reds to cool greens.” Though Niger is currently […] Continue Reading
EverGreen Agriculture: a solution to degraded landscapes
A visit to Embu County, Kenya, two years ago has birthed a very promising project to address the challenges emanating from land degradation. While visiting Purity Gachanga, an agroforestry champion, Dr. Roberto Ridolfi, Director for Sustainable Growth and Development at the Directorate General for Development and Cooperation, was impressed by the transformation that trees could […] Continue Reading
Meet the Aussie who breathes life back into the dessert
How does a guy from a sleepy country town in Victoria end up pioneering a way to transform the drought-ravaged land into ribbons of greenery? Three decades ago Tony Rinaudo was hurtling across the sandy plains of Niger in a clapped-out ute with a trailer-load of trees. The Victorian man was in the west African […] Continue Reading
How Filipino Farmers Cope With Climate Change Through Conservation Agriculture With Trees
The areas with degraded landscapes in Southeast Asia are expanding rapidly. The Conservation Agriculture with Trees (CAWT) strategy is the best “tool box” for sustainable crop production intensification. CAWT follows the Landcare approach, with principles and practices founded on minimal soil disturbance, continuous mulching, pests and nutrients management, species rotations, integration of trees, and rainwater […] Continue Reading
Trees on agricultural land sink four times more carbon than previously thought
A 2016 study in the Nature journal showed that carbon sequestered by trees on agricultural land could be more than four times higher than previously thought. The research was carried out by a team of scientists from several organizations, including CIAT. Between 2000 and 2010, tree cover on agricultural land increased by 3 percent globally, resulting in […] Continue Reading