A new global study finds that the benefits of diversified agriculture are abundantly clear, whether for food security, biodiversity or the bottom line. The Gist Agricultural diversification—those that intentionally diversify crop and noncrop, and livestock species—is often presented as being good for biodiversity. But it’s also commonly perceived as having negative consequences like reduced yields. … Read more
A spider monkey swings between leafy branches with a mouthful of ripe fruit. Nearby, cows graze in a pasture shaded by caimito de montaña (Chrysophyllum sp) and other broadleaf trees and separated from food crops by a living green fence of mainly madrecacao (Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) Kunth) and piñon (Jatropha curcas L.) trees. Somewhere in … Read more
Around the world, natural climate solutions, including agroforests, can help protect biodiversity and contribute to a third of the emissions reductions needed to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. The primary cause of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon might not be what most people think. It’s not deforestation for crops; it’s land clearing to … Read more
Editor’s Note: The following is an excerpt from A Cowgirl’s Conservation Journey by Heidi Redd with Larisa Bowen, published by The Nature Conservancy. After she graduated college, Redd joined her then-husband Robert Redd in owning the iconic Dugout Ranch in Utah’s canyon country. She would go on to run the ranch by herself for nearly … Read more