Transforming Agrifood Systems with Forests | 04 Oct 2022

Why in News?

Recently, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations released a report on deforestation, livestock grazing and farmer field schools.

• FAO released the report at FAO-Global Landscapes Forum digital forum Transforming agrifood systems with forests.
• A Farmer Field School brings together a group of farmers, livestock herders or fisherfolk, to learn how to shift towards more sustainable production practices, by better understanding complex agro-ecosystems and by enhancing ecosystem services.

What are the Highlights of the Report?

• Food demand to support the global population will be 50% more in 2050 compared with 2012.
• Production will need 165 to 600 million more hectares of land for crop and livestock production, much of which is currently covered by forests and other critical ecosystems.
• From 2000-2018, almost 90% of deforestation globally was attributable to agricultural expansion.
  • This negatively impacts associated ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration and biodiversity.
• The world has lost 420 million hectares of forests in the last two decades, as per FAO’s Global Forest Resources Assessment 2022.
• Forests are vital to slow the rate of deforestation, which stood at 11 million ha per year from 2000-2010.

What are the Recommendations?

• 'Forest Positive’ Food Production:
  • The need of the hour is to build sustainable global agrifood systems based on the synergies between agriculture and forests that provide a win-win outcome for both sectors.
  • Governments need to create conditions for farmers to change their practices to maximise production while minimising the impact on forests and biodiversity.
  • Governments need to pay special attention to smallholder farmers, who produce roughly 35% of the world’s food, but often live in poverty and cannot afford the costs or interruptions to income incurred through changing the way they work.
• Restoring Degraded Land:
  • Properly integrated grazing can play a vital role in restoring degraded land with trees, halting desertification and improving wildfire prevention in drylands.
    • Drylands are home to about 25% of the global population, contain 50% of the world’s livestock, 27% of the world’s forests and are where about 60% of the world’s food production takes place.
  • Silvopastrolism (combining animal grazing and trees) can also help enhance local communities food security and income by preventing land degradation.
  • Woody plants in drylands provide animal feed, timber and fruit as well as help to increase biodiversity and regulate soil and water cycles.
  • At the same time, grazing livestock helps control vegetation, reduce the risk of wildfires, accelerate nutrient cycles and improve soil fertility.
• Part of the Solution:
  • As part of an integrated landscape approach utilizing agroforestry, landscape planners and decision-makers should consider livestock as part of the solution and carefully restore open tree cover (when tree cover is between 30 and 70%).

Source: DTE