Afrol News reports that smallholder farmers in Zambia and Malawi have increased their maize crop yields by three times through Evergreen Agriculture.

Evergreen Agriculture is a form of intensive farming that integrates trees with annual crops. In this case, farmers have been using the nitrogen rich Faidherbia albida tree to improve soil fertility.

The article explains how the World Agroforestry Centre is calling for a scaling-up of the use of such fertilizer trees in fields throughout Africa to fight climate change and increase food security.

Former Director General of the World Agroforestry Centre and now Senior Fellow, Dennis Garrity, is quoted as saying Evergreen Agriculture “is rapidly emerging as an affordable and accessible solution to improving production on Africa's farms."

Fertilizer trees draw nitrogen from the air and transfer it to the soil through their roots and leaf litter, replenishing exhausted soils with rich sources of organic nutrients. The trees bolster nutrient supply, increase food crop yields, and enhance the production of fodder, fuel and timber, according to the article.

Read the full story: "Fertilizer tree" triples Malawi, Zambia yields