Webinar | How Agroforestry Can Boost Climate Resilience and Food Security

By Rui Qi | January 16, 2018

WHEN: 1-2pm EST, January 31, 2018

OVERVIEW: Agriculture is the single biggest cause of deforestation and forest degradation— about 30% of the world’s forests have been completely cleared and even more have been severely degraded. According to the World Resources Institute, one and a half billion hectares of forest are best suited for restoration through agroforestry and smallholder agriculture.

We can reverse the damage we’ve done—and we can do it while we grow food. Project Drawdown ranks agroforestry practices such as “Tree Intercropping” and “Multistrata Agroforestry” as the 17th and 28th best ways to sequester greenhouse gas emissions. Trees in agroforestry systems store vast amounts of carbon, comparable amounts to those of afforestation and forest restoration, while enabling farmers to leave the bulk of their land in agricultural production, promoting food security. Farmers gain income and resilience from multiple crops growing on unique timelines.

Join us for your lunch break for a free webinar to learn about the science behind one of the 100 leading climate solutions from agroforestry expert and Project Drawdown Senior Fellow Eric Toensmeier; the story of a leading agroforestry farm in Brazil from agroforester, businessman, and former Formula 1 racing driver Pedro Diniz; and how agroforestry can support climate resilient farms while boosting local food security for small-scale farmers from Grow Ahead’s director, Ryan Zinn Rodriguez.

SPEAKERS:

SPEAKER BIOS: 

Ryan Zinn is the Director for Grow Ahead. Ryan is the Organic & Fair Trade Coordinator for Dr. Bronner’s, focusing on Dr. Bronner’s international supply chains and farmer training. Ryan also shares his time with Fair World Project and Grow Ahead. Ryan has worked in the food and farm justice movement at home and abroad for 20 years, including with such organizations as the Center for International Law, Friends of the Earth-Paraguay, Global Exchange and the Organic Consumers Association.

Pedro Diniz is an agroforester, businessman, and former Formula 1 racing driver. Pedro transformed his family farm into Fazenda da Toca, a large-scale organic farm in Brazil’s São Paulo state, and one of the country’s leading producers of organic eggs and fruits. The farm makes use of agroforestry methods to grow a variety of trees that help to balance required biomass production with the nutritional needs of crops and animals. Pedro looks at Fazenda da Toca as a replicable model for large-scale egg and fruits production using ecological methods. He is hopeful that through large-scale organic and biodynamic production of healthy plant and animal products, the farm will become a catalyst for sound rural development and environmental regeneration in Brazil and beyond; Inspirational profile, connected & principle driven.

Eric Toensmeier is the award-winning author of Paradise Lot and Perennial Vegetables, and the co-author of Edible Forest Gardens. He is an appointed lecturer at Yale University, a Senior Biosequestration Fellow with Project Drawdown, and an international trainer. He has studied useful perennial plants and their roles in agroforestry systems for over two decades.He is the author of The Carbon Farming Solution: A Global Toolkit of Perennial Crops and Regenerative Agricultural Practices for Climate Change Mitigation and Food Security.

 AGENDA:

  • Introductions (5 minutes)
  • Ryan Zinn, Grow Ahead: Small-scale farmers cool the planet and feed the world: Crowdfunding for climate resilience (10-12 minutes)
  • Pedro Diniz, Fazenda de Toca (15-18 minutes)
  • Eric Toensmeier, Project Drawdown (15-18 minutes)
  • Q&A (10 minutes)

PARTNERS:

Fazenda de Toca
Grow Ahead
Project Drawdown
Regeneration Canada