Rome – Agroforestry is a key local weather answer with large
potential to concurrently enhance meals safety and vitamin and alleviate
poverty, whereas halting deforestation, conserving biodiversity, constructing
resilience, and serving to to cut back greenhouse gasoline emissions, the
Director-Normal of the Meals and Agriculture Group of the United Nations
(FAO) QU Dongyu stated as we speak.
He delivered his
opening remarks at a particular joint occasion of the FAO’s Committee on
Forestry (COFO) and the Committee on Agriculture (COAG) on Agriculture-Forestry Linkages. The occasion
entitled “Scaling up agroforestry” befell on the sidelines of the 174th
Session of FAO Council (4-8 December 2023).
In his handle, the
Director-Normal highlighted the necessity for scaling up agroforestry and its
quite a few environmental and socio-economic advantages, noting that it’s going to require
concerted efforts to foster larger collaboration and knowledge-sharing between
forestry and agriculture sectors.
In keeping with the FAO’s State of
the World’s Forests report in 2022, agroforestry
can assist restore over one billion hectares of degraded agricultural land, to
enhance soil fertility and agricultural productiveness, whereas enriching
ecosystem companies and livelihoods.
The Director-Normal additionally
emphasised agroforestry’s very important significance for thousands and thousands of smallholder farmers
whose livelihoods depend upon it. He additionally famous that it was paramount to create
enabling surroundings to draw buyers to assist smallholder farmers apply
progressive approaches.
“Farmers want entry
to coaching, expertise, markets, and monetary assist to undertake agroforestry
practices successfully,” the Director-Normal stated.
To this finish, Qu underscored
the necessity for elevated analysis and innovation which
will enhance our understanding of agroforestry techniques and their advantages alongside
the worth chain and make it a horny built-in enterprise mannequin for
funding.
The Director-Normal
known as on all related companions to work collectively to develop acceptable
insurance policies and practices. FAO is dedicated to assist sustainable transitions to
agroforestry in ways in which meet the wants of smallholder farmers and rework
agrifood techniques for the higher.
Different
individuals included Julie Emond, Chairperson of COAG (Canada); Guenter
Walkner, Chairperson of COFO (Austria); and Michael
Taylor, award-winning silvopastoral farmer (Australia).
The individuals
highlighted the potential of agroforestry as a cross-cutting answer to
sustainably rework agrifood techniques to be extra environment friendly, inclusive,
resilient and sustainable. The occasion showcased FAO’s work on agroforestry to
Members, nationwide experiences from Members and mentioned methods ahead for
addressing the remaining boundaries to agroforestry uptake.
