Can restoring land create jobs? These young entrepreneurs are proving it

From Ecuador to Bangladesh, a new generation of entrepreneurs is turning land restoration into economic opportunity. Whether repurposing agricultural waste, building greenhouses or deploying AI-powered sensors, they are showing, with support from a United Nations-backed initiative, that restoring land can also generate income and improve livelihoods.In Senegal, Daniel Halman is working with a simple idea: if a farmer can produce more on less land, part of that land can be freed up for restoration.His company, Féro, combines high-productivity greenhouses with agroforestry systems. Crops grown inside the greenhouses can be sold relatively quickly, while fruit trees and native species are planted elsewhere on the farm. By balancing production with restoration, the model aims to reduce the amount of land needed for cultivation while making restoration economically viable.Mr. Halman discovered the potential of restoration as a student, after taking part in a small project planting trees and restoring soil.“You can, of course, choose to do this as an NGO, but I specifically chose to continue as a company,” he said during an event in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, host city of COP17 of the UN Con...