Honey hunters in Kenya
Honey hunters in Kenya
Another problem for figs — and people — is a growing lack of water in some regions due to deforestation and diversion for irrigation. Figs are particularly partial to riverbanks, but “when you cut down the trees, you not only lose the shade, but there is more evaporation, so you lose water too,” explains Stone. “If you are lucky, the river may flow only a few weeks a year.” Just a few miles down the same valley, an entire groundwater fig forest is threatened by the actions of a few farmers upstream.