Everyone knows forests are home to a wealth of biodiversity, with the Amazon alone hosting a quarter of global biodiversity. It is also now well established that diversity in crop production increases a farmer’s resilience to environmental stresses and shocks – from extreme weather to pests.
In terms of ending poverty, food insecurity and environmental degradation, agroforestry was positioned today at #CFS44 as playing a crucial role in helping many countries meet key national development objectives epitomised under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Today’s expert panel concluded at a CFS44 side event on Forests, trees and agroforestry for food security and nutrition, that agroforestry and those reliant on them, potentially 1.7 billion people, must be part of a future where people and forests sustain one another.
Agroforestry describes a traditional farming system where trees, crops and livestock all share the same parcel of land. If practiced sustainably, it mimicks the local growing environment to reuse and replenish natural resources while providing long-term security in crop health and income.
Read the full post on the CFS blog here.
This blogpost covers the CFS44 side event: “Forests, trees and agroforestry for food security and nutrition”
Blogpost by Tran Ha My and Teddy Searight, #CFS44 Social Reporters – t.hamy(at)cgiar.org / T.Searight(at)cabi.org
Photo credit: pxhere
This post is part of the live coverage during the 44rd Session of the Committee on World Food Security, a social media project supported by GFAR. This post is written by one of our social reporters, and represents the author’s views only.
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