Development and support to sustainable livelihoods and markets

Complex challenges require integrated approaches to ensure they are adequately addressed. This includes promoting agroforestry (tree crops), agroecology and conservation agriculture (minimum tillage); Integrated Pest Management using local organic pesticides; compost production; nitrogen-fixing cover crops to encourage growth of biomass to
reduce fallow periods; techniques and practices to increase both the land equivalent ratio and income generation potential of farmers’ fields, and improvement of post-harvest storage to conserve yields. In addition, crop diversification has the potential to develop the regional market, and support in advisory services, value chain, market development, sector consultation and collaborations, access to credit and other inputs, all of which could
generate increased economic returns in the landscape while encouraging the adoption of climate-smart practices.

As well as nutrition support to households and communities, there is also the potential to mitigate HEC through prioritising deterrents to elephant crop raiding such as non-palatable crops like pepper and ginger, and through apiculture.