Broll Forests in Costa Rica, Viet Nam, The Gambia

Agriculture remains the most significant driver of global deforestation. However, it is possible under certain conditions to achieve sustainable agriculture and food security while also halting deforestation. A new study from FAO - The State of the World’s Forests 2016: Forests and agriculture - land use challenges and opportunities - identifies more than 20 countries that have maintained or increased forest area, and improved food security since 1990. This video focuses on successful methods in Costa Rica, Viet Nam and The Gambia.

Forests and trees support sustainable agriculture. They stabilize soils and climate, regulate water flows, give shade and shelter, and provide a habitat for pollinators and the natural predators of agricultural pests. They also contribute to the food security of hundreds of millions of people, for whom they are important sources of food, energy and income. Yet, agriculture remains the major driver of deforestation globally, and agricultural, forestry and land policies are often at odds.

State of the World’s Forests (SOFO) 2016 shows that it is possible to increase agricultural productivity and food security while halting or even reversing deforestation, highlighting the successful efforts of Costa Rica, Chile, the Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Tunisia and Viet Nam. Integrated land-use planning is the key to balancing land uses, underpinned by the right policy instruments to promote both sustainable forests and agriculture.

In Costa Rica, rainforests are recovering thanks to more sustainable agriculture practices, stronger legal controls over land use, and especially funding for forest protection. Farmers like Victor Julio receive payments for keeping the forest on his land intact, which helps cover the family’s expenses. About every 15 years, he is allowed to harvest and sell a limited amount of timber.

In Vietnam, food security and forest cover have both increased significantly in the last 25 years. Economic and agricultural reforms have reshaped the way local communities interact with the forests, as state forestry has given way to more community-based management. Nguyễn Thị Mỹ Huệ cares for two hectares of acacia trees in northern Yan Bai province. She and fellow villagers have formed a forest and farm producers group, which receives loans and technical assistance in managing a small forestry enterprise.

In The Gambia, local communities are taking control of their forest resources. The government is transferring ownership of about 200-thousand hectares of the nation’s forest cover to villages such as Limbanbulu Yanmadou. In the past, families scavenged for firewood and fruits, steadily degrading the forests. Now a village committee manages forest affairs. Villagers take turns going on patrol, and work together to build firebreaks and plant new trees.

With innovative approaches and collaboration between governments, businesses and local communities, agriculture and forestry can and do co-exist, producing food and forest products in productive and sustainable landscapes.

1. Aerial WS over Gambia River, central Gambia

2. WS under rainforest canopy, near Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

3. WS farmers clearing brush from cinnamon trees, Yan Bai, Vietnam

4. WS aerial view of hillside cleared of trees, Yan Bai, Vietnam

5. WS field cleared of trees for planting, Hojancha, Costa Rica

6. MS women pounding bean paste, near Farafenni, The Gambia 

7. CU pounding of bean paste, near Farafenni, The Gambia

8. MS aerial view of teak plantation, Hojancha, Costa Rica 

9. WS aerial view of baobab tree, near Bintang, The Gambia 

10. WS rainforest, Monteverde, Costa Rica 

11. WS mountainside panorama, Hojancha, Costa Rica 

12. MS aerial view of rainforest, near Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica 

13. MS Farmer Victor Julio walking with his son, near Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica 

14. WS Victor Julio and his son walking toward forest, near Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica 

15. MS collapsed tree in the rainforest, near Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

16. MS Victor Julio and his son view a large tree in the rainforest, near Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

17. WS Julio and his son looking at a large tree in the rainforest, near Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

18. MS foliage under rainforest canopy, near Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

19. SOT: VICTOR JULIO, Farmer (Spanish): 

We feel blessed because we have a forest and it's going to be an advantage in the future for my grandkids and great grandkids. They're going to know what a forest is.

21. WS rice field at sunset, Bac Kan province, Vietnam

22. WS aerial view of farms and forest plantations, Yan Bai, Vietnam

23. WS aerial view of farmers arriving by motorcyle, Chu Huong commune, Bac Kan province, Vietnam

24. WS farmers get off of motorbikes and head to magnolia plantation, Chu Huong commune, Bac Kan province, Vietnam

25. WS farmers walking up hillside in plantation, Chu Huong commune, Bac Kan province, Vietnam

26. MS Nguyen Thi My Hue clearing brush from plantation, Yan Bai, Vietnam

27. WS farmers clearing brush from plantation, Yan Bai, Vietnam

28. WS climbing aerial view of farmers clearing brush, Yan Bai, Vietnam

29. MS members of forest farm facility saw timber, Yan Bai, Vietnam

30. MS Nguyen Thi My Hue and other members load truck with timber wood, Yan Bai, Vietnam

31. WS truck being loaded, Yan Bai, Vietnam

32. CU wood placed inside truck, Yan Bai, Vietnam

33. SOT: NGUYEN THI MY HUE, Acacia planter (Vietnamese):

For me, I think the environment now is better than before because all of the forest land is covered by trees and people have more concern about forest protection and development…The income of my family is now also higher than before.

34. WS aerial view of village, near Farafenni, The Gambia

35. WS villagers carrying branches under a baobab tree, Limbambulu Yanmadou, The Gambia

36. WS aerial view of forest, Limbambulu Yanmadou, The Gambia

37. WS cut wood underneath baobab tree in village, near Farafenni, The Gambia 

38. MS cut wood in village, near Farafenni, The Gambia

39. MS low angle view of motorcycle driving on path, Limbambulu Yanmadou, The Gambia

40. WS motorcyclists drive through trees, Limbambulu Yanmadou, The Gambia

41. WS motorcyclists arrive at mango orchard, Limbambulu Yanmadou, The Gambia

42. WS woman carrying water and child pass a neighbor’s home in village, Limbambulu Yanmadou, The Gambia

43. SOT: MANKAMANG FATTY, Community Forest Committee President (Pulaar):

Before the Community Forest our earning capacity was too small, but now that we have ownership over the forest, our level of income has increased greatly.

44. WS aerial view of rhum palm plantation near Gambian River, Kesereh Kunda, The Gambia

45. WS intercropping of coffee and fruits at coffee plantation, Monteverde, Costa Rica

46. CU cashew nuts on tree, Brikama, The Gambia

47. WS ferry crossing in Gambia at sunset, near Basse Santa Su, The Gambia

ENDS