Soil Health & Fertility
News & Blogs
Indian farmers fight against climate change using trees as a weapon
In 19 years, Ramu Gaviti’s six acres of land have gone from barren, dry and sparsely vegetated to fertile, moist and thick with biomass. Peacocks, wild pigs and rabbits have reappeared and in rejuvenated rivers, boys trap fish in baskets. Gaviti once scratched $29 (£23) worth of millet and grass per acre per year. In […] Continue Reading
Stretching the carbon goals: Agroforestry experts want new partnerships and a boost for research
“The contribution of trees in agriculture into the global carbon balance is still widely ignored. And if we don’t … start really blasting this message around the world, we are missing one of the biggest opportunities that this institution has had for many, many years.” This is how Dennis Garrity, UN’s Drylands Ambassador and former Director […] Continue Reading
In Kenya, farmers see early rewards from adding legumes and trees to their farms
Less than a year after supplying farmers with legume seeds and fertilizer tree seedlings, the Legume CHOICE project team caught up with farmers and traders in Kisii and Migori counties of Kenya. The farmers were already enjoying the benefits and were keen to scale up. Legume crops like beans and peas (known collectively as pulses […] Continue Reading
Kenya to Restore Denmark-sized Area of Degraded Land
Kenya announced on September 8th that it will restore 5.1 million hectares (12.6 million acres) of degraded land, an area roughly the size of Denmark, to more productive use. The move is poised to improve livelihoods, curb climate change, safeguard biodiversity and more. As a result of poor land use, including overcultivation and overgrazing, Kenya has been […] Continue Reading
While raising crop yields, African thorn tree Faidherbia albida captures large amounts of carbon
A large, old Faidherbia albida tree with a metre-plus diameter stored the equivalent of the CO2 emitted by 8 cars over one year. These useful trees play an important role in carbon sequestration, a critical part of the effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions linked to climate change. People in many areas of Africa gain […] Continue Reading
Using Agroforestry to save the planet
Agroforestry—the use of trees in farming—benefits both farmers and the environment. According to a recent report by Biodiversity International, the Center for International Forestry Research, the World Agroforestry Centre, and Charles Sturt University, forests contribute to the livelihoods of more than 1.6 billion people. Yet, 30 percent of the world’s forests are used primarily for the production of wood […] Continue Reading