15 October 2010: At the World Food Prize Borlaug Dialogue held in Iowa City, Iowa, US, from 13-15 October 2010, Dennis Garrity, Director General of the World Agroforestry Centre, described the challenge of doubling food production by mid-century and combating climate change.

Garrity presented on the concept of “evergreen agriculture” whereby “fertilizer trees” are integrated into food crop and livestock systems. He said this approach bolsters nutrient supply to crops, increases direct production of food, fodder, fuel and fiber, and provides additional income to farmers from tree products. Garrity described successes with a particular fertilizer tree, Faidherbia albida, in Malawi and Niger, highlighting that the carbon sequestration potential of agroforestry systems varies greatly from under 100Mt to over 2000Mt of carbon dioxide equivalent per year. He noted that additional efforts are underway in 18 countries across Africa to increase the implementation of evergreen agriculture. [World Agroforestry Centre Press Release] [2010 Borlaug Dialogue Website]