The farmers that are changing their practices are seeing results. Climate change is already negatively impacting crop production around the world. These findings show that we can make a difference in a short amount of time.”
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Climate-Smart Farming
CLIMATE
In Madagascar, where extreme weather has worsened poverty and malnutrition, farmers are caught in a Catch-22: Climate change threatens their crops and livelihoods, prompting them to expand their farms by cutting down trees. This, in turn, intensifies the effect of droughts, flooding and erosion.
But a Conservation International project there suggests that farmers can break this cycle through “climate-smart” farming, such as using drought-resistant crops, mulching to prevent erosion and planting native fruit trees that provide new sources of income.
A recent report about the project found that farmers who adopted such practices were not only less likely to deforest surrounding land, they also had greater food security — which is crucial in a country where about a third of the population does not have enough food.