A new agroforestry initiative in the Democratic Republic of the Congo aims to improve food production, reduce poverty and help families adapt to weather-related challenges.

African Press Organization reports on the project announced on Earth Day which is funded by the Canadian International Development Agency.

The project will increase the production of renewable charcoal on farms that interplant acacia trees with cassava and corn. Through these efforts, the hope is to create more jobs and respond to the food and energy needs of communities in Kinshasa and surrounding areas.

Training in agroforestry and entrepreneurship will be provided through the project to twenty graduates from Kinshasa’s Institut des Sciences Agro-vétérinaires and another 200 households from the surrounding area. The graduates will each be offered a parcel of land on which to implement the project’s agroforestry model, estimated to generate up to $15,000 each in household income.

Read the full story: Harper Government boosts food production and economic growth in Africa / Parliamentary Secretary Pierre Lemieux highlights Earth Day