In low-income countries such as Togo, small-holder farmers often have to resort to unsustainable forest and land management practices, such as clearing forested land and cutting down trees for cooking fuel, in order to meet their basic needs. As high rates of deforestation causes their land to become nutrient-poor, they are more likely to switch to more environmentally harmful farming practices, such as using chemical fertilisers or clearing additional forest land for agricultural use. The community becomes locked into a cycle of environmental degradation and poverty which, without the right support or information, is increasingly difficult to overcome. Similarly, in middle or higher-income countries such as the UK, small-holder farmers can become locked into unsustainable farming practices due to economic, time and information constraints. Farmers in the UK and Togo therefore face a collective challenge – to find a way to access the support or systems they need to transition to environmentally-friendly farming and land management practices.

Two of the biggest issues facing our ability to live well in the 21st century are climate breakdown and the unequal division of wealth.

What did the project involve? 

This ideas exchange aimed to bring together perspectives and narratives which look to better understand an aspect of these issues and to explore long-term solutions underpinned by imagination and collaboration.

Having seen and heard from rural communities in Togo how deforestation and poverty is affecting their ability to live well this research team sought to start an international research collaboration between organisations and academics in Togo, the UK, and abroad to:

1. re-examine the relationship between global issues of agriculture-driven deforestation, poverty and unsustainable development
2. to share and learn from positive narratives of how small-holder farmers and organisations have been able adopt alternative practices and overcome this cycle of agriculture-driven deforestation.

The research team established a participatory international research network, premised on the basis of equal exchange of information. They aimed for this network to involve academics from a range of disciplinary backgrounds, organisations currently working on tackling agriculture-driven deforestation and small-holder farmers.

The first step was to create an online forum to introduce interested participants, to generate initial discussion questions and to frame the scope and direction of this research project. The second step was to hold a workshop, which would utilise the expertise of the network to co-create a set of survey and interview questions to gather perspectives on these issues, as well as the positive change case studies and from within and beyond the network. Data collected was made available for the network to use in further research.

Who are the team and what do they bring?

• Louis MacGregor (University of Bristol, Population Health Science)
• Katy Turner (University of Bath, Centre for Development Studies)
• Max Niño-Zarazua (Development Alternatives Incorporated, Europe – Mexico Prosperity Fund Financial Services)
• Deki – Bristol based micro-finance and international development charity
• IADES – Social microfinance NGO based in Togo.
• Others – Togolese-based environmental organisations have expressed an initial interest in this project

What were the results?

The project sought to attain the following outcomes:

• An international research network, with an online medium established so that the network can continue to share ideas, important developments or find collaborators for future research proposals. With a dedicated section to sharing knowledge on future funding avenues for emerging project ideas.
• A collective of case studies which tell positive change narratives around reducing agriculture-driven deforestation, and insights from the survey to highlight needs/opportunities for subsequent research.
• For Deki and IADES this project will form the first step in their efforts to better understand the connected issues of deforestation and poverty and how they can be overcome in the context of rural communities in the Maritime region of Togo.