Femmes de terre

In Senegal, as in the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa, the consequences of deforestation are contributing to the continuing impoverishment of rural communities, and to the growing vulnerability of farmers to food insecurity and the need to feed their families, to the gradual loss of their fields (their only working tool) and to the increasing scarcity of natural resources due to climate change. It is estimated that small-scale farmers provide 80% of our food, yet they are the most affected by food and nutritional insecurity and the least supported by governments.

While agriculture remains the main driver of deforestation worldwide, there is an urgent need to foster positive interactions between agriculture, forests and natural resource management, and to promote agro-ecology. Forests play an essential role in the water cycle, soil conservation, carbon sequestration and the protection of habitats, including those of pollinators. According to the latest FAO report on "The State of the World's Forests 2016", to meet the growing global demand for food and other land-based products, we will need high-productivity landscapes that are managed sustainably. Another FAO report in 2017 published on the symbiotic role of legumes for sustainable agriculture, cover crops and rotation can help restore soil health.