The Stockholm Environment Institute has released 2 new briefs looking at the role of agroforestry in restoring degraded lands while providing livelihood benefits, and how agroforestry in home gardens can provide nutrition and food security.

Sharing the Land: Restoring Degraded ecosystems and improving livelihoods through agroforestry profiles agroforestry practices for land restoration and conservation which also strengthen livelihoods.

An estimated 1.5 billion people depend on degraded lands for their livelihoods. Monoculture reforestation has often been a preferred approach to restore land with intensified production occurring on croplands. However, agroforestry offers a more sustainable approach for the long-term, especially in densely populated landscapes and in poor communities. Agroforestry can not only address land degradation but also reduce poverty and hunger.

Trees in Home Gardens: Making the most of an age-old practice to improve food security and nutrition explores the importance of incorporating multiple layers of trees, shrubs and crops in home gardens.

Home gardens across the world are important for food security and nutrition. They supply food when crops fail and supplement cereals. In urban areas they provide inexpensive and local sources of food. The brief focuses on the value of planting multi-layered gardens with trees, shrubs and crops, drawing on case studies from Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Burkina Faso.