Connecting the dots: Rethinking farming systems to deliver multiple services

During a recent planning meeting for the Alliance’s Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) team, I shared a reflection from a field visit to Zambia’s Copperbelt region, which sits on the border region between northern Zambia and the southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo. There, under the shade of a tree and in the middle of a candid exchange with community leaders, I heard something that stayed with me:

“You can give us all the alternatives to deforestation-free livelihoods, but as long as people in cities keep needing charcoal, someone here will cut down trees to supply it.”