Insights

Rewiring the Future of Food, Wildlife, and the Planet.... Before It’s Too Late

“To each, there comes in their lifetime that special moment when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and asked to do something extraordinary.”
— Winston Churchill

The tap on the shoulder is now. And its no longer figurative. A reckoning is upon us. One not defined by bombs or borders—but by soil, water, wildlife, and the food we eat.

This July in Addis Ababa, global leaders gathered for the UN Food Systems Summit +4 Stocktake—an urgent moment of reflection, four years on from the promises made in 2021 to transform food systems for people and planet. The findings? Troubling. The 2025 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report paints a sobering picture:

• 673 million people went hungry in 2024—307 million in Africa alone.

• Over 1 billion Africans can no longer afford a healthy diet—66.6% of the continent’s population.

• Food price inflation remains devastating, rising from 4.01 PPP dollars per person per day in 2022 to 4.46 in 2024, despite stagnating incomes.

• Most tragically, food inflation is directly linked to higher rates of child wasting and severe malnutrition.

At the same time, WWF’s Living Planet Report shows we’ve lost over two-thirds of global wildlife populations since 1970, with agriculture the primary driver—fueling deforestation, draining wetlands, and collapsing biodiversity through unchecked expansion and chemical use.

We are not feeding the world—we are bleeding it.

A Failing Food System—and a Failing Economic Model

We’ve built a global food system dependent on fragile supply chains, cheap calories, and ecological overreach. This system has not only failed to end hunger but has also driven us into climate, water, and biodiversity crises. 

The agriculture-wildlife nexus, as described by WWF, is a flashpoint:

• Habitat destruction for food production now accounts for 80% of deforestation globally.

• Encroachment on wildlands increases the risk of zoonotic disease spillovers, destabilizing both public health and ecotourism economies.

• In regions like East Africa, human-wildlife conflict is rising sharply as fertile zones shrink and corridors disappear.

This isn't just unsustainable. It's untenable.

The Case for Regeneration—and Proof It Works

At Verdant Impact Partners, we are not waiting. We are building. Together with farmers, scientists, policymakers, conservationists, and investors, we are designing regenerative ecosystems where nature, nutrition, and livelihoods thrive side by side. 

Here are some key examples of success of those that have succeeded to improve nature sensitive agriculture and use new technologies to help solve the challenge.

• EcoAgriculture Partners – Landscape Partnerships Across Latin America and Africa:  EcoAgriculture Partners supports "integrated landscape management"—blending agriculture, biodiversity, and ecosystem services. Projects include wildlife-friendly coffee farms in Central America and mosaic land-use planning in Ethiopia’s Bale Mountains, where agro-pastoralism is aligned with mountain nyala conservation. These models bring together indigenous farmers, local governments, and conservation groups to balance productivity with habitat restoration.

• In Gabon, our own Ahavah Mangrove Sustainability Center plans to regenerate blue carbon ecosystems—mangroves, wetlands, and salt marshes—while piloting carbon credit models, agroforestry training for youth, and immersive eco-tourism. We are partnering with local entrpereneur Fanely Agnouga, Founder of Gabon EcoSafaris and CAIMOA,  Gabon Community Homestay to get this project moving forward, in alignment with the planned Ahavah Eco-Lodge.

• In South Africa, farm-forest corridors in the Overberg and Winelands are now home to sustainable vineyards and organic produce integrated with wildcat conservation projects, delivering both ecological value and premium agritourism income. These producers are part of our sister company Agritourism Africa's network founded by our CMO, Jacqui Taylor. 

• Wildlife-Friendly Enterprise Network (WFEN) – Global: WFEN certifies and promotes agricultural enterprises that protect wildlife through habitat stewardship and conservation-based business practices. Examples include wildlife-friendly wool from Mongolia, elephant-safe tea in Assam, India, and jaguar-friendly cacao from Central America. These enterprises ensure that farming activities do not harm endangered species or disrupt migration routes.

• Kenya’s Wildlife Works REDD+ Project – Kasigau Corridor: Wildlife Works has pioneered one of Africa’s most successful REDD+ carbon offset projects in the Kasigau Corridor. The initiative links forest protection, sustainable agriculture, and wildlife conservation in a region connecting Tsavo East and Tsavo West National Parks. Through agroforestry, beekeeping, and dryland farming, they’ve created jobs for over 350 local people while protecting habitat for elephants, lions, and cheetahs.

• Rice-Fish Farming Systems – Southeast Asia: In countries like Vietnam, Laos, and Indonesia, traditional rice–fish integrated systems allow farmers to grow rice while rearing fish like tilapia or carp in the same flooded fields. These systems reduce the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides, increase farmer income, and provide wetland habitat for migratory birds and amphibians.

• Dehesa Silvopastoral System – Spain: The Dehesa is a centuries-old system in southern Spain that combines oak forests with rotational grazing and cereal crops, supporting livestock, hunting, and acorn-fed Iberian pigs. This multifunctional landscape sustains biodiversity—including birds of prey, boar, deer, and pollinators—while providing a model for economically viable and ecologically rich agriculture.

• Gorongosa National Park Buffer Farms – Mozambique: In Gorongosa, community-managed farms located in the buffer zones of the national park implement agroforestry and organic farming to reduce pressure on wildlife habitats. The park provides training and market access, creating a win-win for conservation and food security. Wildlife populations—including elephants and lions—have rebounded, while farmers are producing coffee, cashew, and honey.

• Shade-Grown Coffee and Cocoa – Central America and West Africa: Shade-grown coffee and cocoa plantations support forest canopies that harbor birds, insects, and mammals—in some cases rivaling natural forests for biodiversity. In places like Honduras and Ghana, farmers receive premium prices for wildlife-friendly certifications, and species such as sloths and toucans thrive in these agroforestry systems. Smithsonian Bird Friendly Coffee Program

• Community Conservancies with Livestock Integration – Northern Kenya: The Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT) has helped establish over 40 community conservancies where pastoralist livestock production and wildlife conservation are integrated. Livestock grazing is rotated to reduce pressure on grasslands and support antelope, zebra, and elephant populations. Revenue from eco-tourism and carbon projects supports schools, healthcare, and water infrastructure.

• Virtual Fencing for Wildlife–Livestock Management – Australia & Africa: Companies like Agersens and Vence are pioneering GPS-enabled “virtual fences” for livestock. This allows herders to keep cattle out of sensitive wildlife habitats without installing physical barriers—protecting migration routes while improving grazing efficiency and pasture recovery.

• AI-Powered Human–Wildlife Conflict Monitoring – India & Nepal: WWF and partners in South Asia have developed AI-enabled camera traps and predictive algorithms to monitor elephant and tiger movements in agricultural areas, issuing early warnings via SMS to farmers. This has reduced crop raids and retaliatory killings, allowing better coexistence.

• Beehive Fences – Kenya, Tanzania, and Thailand: Innovated by Dr. Lucy King, beehive fences use honeybees as a deterrent for crop-raiding elephants. Elephants avoid bees, and the fences reduce crop damage while generating income through honey sales. This low-tech innovation has been deployed in multiple elephant-range countries and is supported by Save the Elephants

• Drone-Assisted Reforestation and Wildlife Monitoring – Brazil and Kenya: Startups like BioCarbon Engineering (now part of Dendra Systems) are deploying drones to plant trees and monitor land restoration at scale, particularly in degraded agricultural landscapes that border wildlife habitats. Combining satellite imagery, AI, and aerial seeding helps regenerate corridors quickly and cost-effectively.

• Blockchain for Wildlife-Friendly Supply Chains – Amazon Basin & India: Organizations like Bext360 are using blockchain and traceability tech to help certify coffee, cacao, and other products as wildlife-friendly. Farmers can earn premiums for preserving forest buffers and following conservation protocols, and buyers can verify ecological impact through digital ledgers.

Join Us: A Call to Action for Investors Who Dare

The SOFI 2025 report reminds us that a 10% rise in food prices leads to a 3.5% increase in food insecurity, and a 6% increase in child wasting. That’s millions of lives forever altered.

The question is not whether we can act. It’s whether we will.

At Verdant Impact Partners, we offer investable, scalable, measurable projects across Africa and the Global South that integrate:

• Regenerative agriculture

• Wildlife corridor development

• Agri-eco tourism

• Carbon monetization

• Blue and green infrastructure

• Circular economy strategies

Our blended finance structures, government partnerships, and deep-rooted community engagement make it possible to de-risk investments, amplify returns, and transform entire landscapes into living ecosystems of opportunity.

This is our generation’s Normandy. Our moon landing. Our Marshall Plan.
But this time, the battle is not for territory—it’s for a liveable planet.

Partner with us. Invest in regeneration. 

Restore hope.

📩 lloyd@verdant-impact.com
🌐 www.verdant-impact.com 

Recommended Reading and Resources:

• SOFI 2025 – State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World

• UN Food Systems Summit +4 Stocktake (Addis, 2025)

• WWF- Agriculture and Biodiversity Nexus

• FAO Blue Carbon Ecosystems Report

• Living Planet Report 2022