Farms and forests must join up their plans


The last month has seen an avalanche of research and advocacy reports on two separate subjects – the global food crisis and the future of tropical forests. As far as I know, only one has warned that these topics shouldn’t be “separate” at all.

The CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) has looked at a number of national development strategies and finds that the environmental budgets don’t add up. One ministry wants donor support to plant more food crops whilst another goes in search of funding to reduce deforestation.

I wasn’t surprised to find an acknowledgement of Ethiopia’s REDD Readiness Preparation Proposal as a source document. Its authors tell it the way it is – that farming expansion is the main driver of deforestation yet Ethiopia’s Growth and Transformation Plan aims to double the country’s cultivated land by 2030.

The understated conclusion observes that there are: “seemingly conflicting agricultural and forest management related strategies.”

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this post was first published by OneWorld UK