Mozambique national park turns to coffee to fight deforestation

400 local farmers have begun to grow coffee trees on the slopes of Mozambique's Mount Gorongosa in an effort to revitalize the quickly disappearing rainforest and boost incomes, reports AP.

The big picture: Nearly 2 decades back, the Gorongosa National Park was considered "derelict" after a brutal civil war and wildlife poaching. "Coffee is a crop that can stop that deforestation," writes the AP. "Shade-grown coffee shrubs produce better tasting coffee beans, so the trees are planted among indigenous trees. Areas that had been denuded of trees now boast verdant slopes of coffee trees interspersed with local trees such as albizias and other crops."