With climate change expected to bring variable rainfall and higher temperatures to the pacific island of Vanuatu, farmers in the village of Khole on the island of Espiritu Santo are developing agroforestry projects to build their resilience.

An article in the Vanuatu Daily Post by students from the Lycee Antoine De Bougainville College outlines how trees incorporated into farmland help to absorb carbon dioxide as well as improve soil fertility, prevent erosion and help to control floods. They also bring income to local farmers through providing a range of fruits, nuts and timber. Agroforestry can also improve crop yields and therefore ensure food security.

The agroforestry project in Khole is part of a regional Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) initiative being implemented by Live & Learn Vanuatu. It is funded by the European Union and also operates in Fiji, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

Villagers in Khole are already seeing the impacts of climate change when at times there is too much water and other times not enough, affecting the health of their crops and vegetables and bringing increased pests and diseases.

Read the full story: Growing trees to stem climate change