Swedish press highlights agroforestry for poverty alleviation and climate change mitigation

Earlier this month the Swedish public service told the story about the Ethiopian farmer Haregu Gobezay. Twelve years ago Haregu and her husband bought a piece of infertile land outside the city Aksum in northern Ethiopia. By using sediment from the nearby flood plains and planting trees she restored the fertility of the land and transformed it to a productive agroforestry farm. Today she is the richest woman in Aksum. Her farm is ecological and instead of using pesticides she combines and rotates different crops, creating a system that is resilient to pests and diseases. Today Haregu employs over 100 people and is planning to open a hotel in Aksum, a growing tourist destination.

Watch the reportage with Haregu Gobezay at the website of the Swedish television

Agroforestry is making a comeback in east Africa as the land management system has potential to restore degraded soils, increase productivity and improve the resilience to a changing climate. At the same time agroforestry is highlighted by many high-level institutions, such as FAO and IPCC, because mixing trees and crops transforms agriculture from being a net source of greenhouse gases to a carbon sink.