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Agroforestry news from around the world
That climate change has become one of the most pressing environmental concerns to ever confront humanity goes without saying. As such, it continues to dominate world debate.
The protection of trees has now been recognized by both governments and communities as one of the best tools employed to offset the effects of climate change. The scaling up of forest cover and the reduction of felling trees has now become a clear goal.
Thus, the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+) concept has endeavored to use this approach in attempts to address this environmental challenge.
At the 16th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 16) in Cancun Mexico, discussions sought toaddress this concern.
Advantages of Agroforestry
But increasing forest cover and preventing deforestation is an ever daunting task, especially in developing countries. Population explosion in these countries and the need to expand agricultural land for economic purposes seem to override all other environmental considerations.
Cultivated land remains scarce, never mind that these countries are said to be more vulnerable to consequences arising from climate change.
Nowadays, some experts feel that the REDD+ initiative does not go far enough, in a manner to make it efficient and effective in coping with both climate change as well as dealing with the economic situation in the developing world.
They say that the use of trees on farms in Africa needs to be incorporated in the REDD+ strategy. This can help increase agricultural yields while at the same time conserve the environment.
“Across South East Asia tree cover on agricultural lands is greater than 30 percent, so there are many examples, but mostly in climates that have more rainfall than the average Kenyan farmer receives.” |
In addition the use of trees on farms helps in arresting carbon from the atmosphere, while building resilience against climate change as well as increasing food security and farmers’ income.
“Promoting agroforestry within REDD+ policies could help address drivers of deforestation,” said Dr. Peter Minang, the global coordinator of the Alternative to Slash and Burn (ASB) Partnership for Tropical Forest Margins in a press statement recently.
Minang reiterated the need to increase tree-based agricultural practices that have been shown to work. According to him this includes combining conservation agriculture with agroforestry.
Despite the fact that land scarcity in the developing world has largely contributed to the destruction of forests in these countries, experts feel that there is great need for putting in place policies that discourage cutting of trees and implement those that encourage tree planting in areas where they have been felled.
Viable for Smallholder Farmer
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50 percent of agricultural land has at least 30 percent tree cover in South East Asia and Central America |
Then there is the question of smallholder farmers, who comprise the vast majority of the farming fraternity in the developing countries. They are the ones who stand to suffer most from the effects of climate change.
Since these farmers do not have enough land to grow their crops and rear livestock in the first place, it is therefore unclear how practical it is for these farmers to practice agroforestry in the same inadequate land.
On the other hand, Dr. Meine Van Noordwijk, the chief science advisor at the World Agroforestry Centre in Nairobi, tells OnIslam.net that such an argument depends on the policy context of a given country.
As far as he is concerned, agroforestry can work where trees are sufficiently profitable.
In a country like Kenya, explains Noordwijk, government policies tend to favor food crops at the expense of growing trees.
He adds that this has been witnessed in cases where the government has extended fertilizer subsidies to food crops. While at the same time the same government demands tax from trees, “by demanding forest rent fees on farm tree products.”
Still, Kenya like other developing countries, have to grapple with challenges that would require a change of government policy for agroforestry to work. Noordwijk maintains that many farmers of the world have found that this works for them.
“Across South East Asia tree cover on agricultural lands is greater than 30 percent, so there are many examples, but mostly in climates that have more rainfall than the average Kenyan farmer receives.”
He hastens to add that agroforestry can still work even in drier areas.
50 percent of agricultural land has at least 30 percent tree cover in South East Asia and Central America. This compares to 46 percent of the global agricultural land which has at least 10 percent tree cover.