Protecting Environment Key to Protecting Agricultural Yields
African farmers face one of the greatest balancing acts of the 21st century – feeding a rapidly expanding population without causing irreparable damage to the environment they rely on. It’s a monumental ask.
A meeting, organised by Farm Africa and the UK National Farmers’ Union (NFU), explored how the global agricultural sector can best address the nature and scale of the food security challenges.
The environment is the largest determinant of agricultural productivity, and when the ecosystem is degraded, future agricultural yields are put at risk. For food security efforts to be successful, environmental concerns must be paramount.
Our work in Ethiopia’s Bale eco-region is a case in point. Deforestation in the highlands is reducing the flow of water to the lowlands, putting a strain on the agro-pastoralists who live there and make a living from growing crops and rearing cattle.
By not only helping the lowland farmers to improve productivity, but also working to reverse deforestation and conserve the watershed, we’re helping assure these farmers’ access to the most basic of environmental resources necessary for their work: water.
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