The story
Fran Martinez-Raya, a farmer working with AlVelAl, tells Al Jazeera how he grows food in a semi-arid landscape: one of the most challenging environments to farm in the world. He explains, “we have transformed an agricultural farm into a forest. The only difference is to change crops. Basically the same ecosystem, the biodiversity and fertile soil as a forest. ” It is essential to innovate these techniques across the Mediterranean where soil erosion is a serious issue. Because when done right, agriculture can build fertile soil and transform a degraded landscape. According to Willem Ferwerda, Commonland CEO, “healthy food is produced by healthy landscapes, which means healthy people”.
