In the last two decades, we have been hearing and reading much about trees and Food Security. We are also spectators and sometimes affected by floods, raising temperatures, loss of crops, landslides, barren landscape extension, wild fires and farmer suicides. And we also keep hearing and getting influenced by Save environment, Save the planet, Save the river etc campaigns. Are there any linkages of the above said calamities & campaigns to Food Security?
The answer is bit complex and usually Yes and No, based on the perspective. But it remains that it’s a fact of losses and is impacting us.
Now let’s understand this complex cycle.
We all understand, raising Carbon and Greenhouse gas emissions led by industrialization have played pretty significant role in temperature changes. Global temperatures on an average have risen by ~1 degree centigrade in the past 140 years.
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We have also cut down forests, turned to chemicals driven monoculture which have made land unusable in few decades for food generation.
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Once the land is barren, We leave the barren land and move on. As we move on to another piece of land, the green cover continues to reduce (slash and burn land claim) and the cycle to reduce the harmful gases by the role of trees further reduces as the tree cover becomes lesser.
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Due to raise in surface temperature, crops pattern changes and get affected by either pests or drought. If a crop fails and if it’s a monoculture landscape, hardly any route for a farmer to escape the drastic impact and leading to suicides as the land parcels owned are marginal (<2 acres of land per farmer)
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Raise in temperature also affects glaciers and ice shelfs to collapse and push more water into oceans and rivers which in turn flood vulnerable areas.
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Landslides due to flood as the trees which played the role of holding soil have been cut. People move on from flood planes to yet another settlement and again by cutting down trees.
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Temperature increase and change in climate patterns are helping wild fires to spread easier and faster. Wildfires also displace the communities and make them move to yet another place to setup community and how? No wild guesses. Clear the forest and move.
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All in all, the green cover is reducing changing the climate patterns. Farmers are moving from one chemically induced and destroyed monoculture field to another forest cut/burnt chemically induced and future destructive field. Population is increasing and to keep feeding and ensure security, there is a need for more fertile land.
What one can see is a simple link yet complex relationship between Trees and Food Security ? What is the solution then?
Plant more trees? Yes, and it’s part of the solution. Trees convert harmful gases to oxygen, holds the soil together, preserves underground water, maintains soil fertility, feeds fauna, keeps the ground temperature under control and importantly plays a significant role in sustainable agricultural practices that moves us towards Agro-Forestry which in turn
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Provides Year-round produce which maintains the soil fertility by not stressing it with highly water and chemical intense monoculture,
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Ensures seasonal outputs to keep farmers interest active and livelihood predictable,
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Aids creation of micro and macro eco-systems which keeps soil fertile there by reducing moving from one land to another and a farmhouse project
VanaTvam is a great believer in keeping the planet healthy for generations to come. Madhu Vana is an AgroForestry driven dwelling and is a living laboratory which has Sustainability, Preservation of land and eco system, Livelihood sustenance and good environment management practices on display. Come join hands with us to ensure our future generations can continue to live on this planet peacefully
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