Your impact: In Senegal, Kenya and India we are helping provide food security by working with individual farmers to impart guidance on methods for planting forest gardens on their land. The ten trees that were planted in Senegal, Kenya, and/or India on your behalf will help to:
1) Battle poverty
Poor farming communities are faced with land degradation and desertification caused by major deforestation. Most people use agriculture as the primary source of income and are living off of less than $1 per day. tentree is supporting tree planting efforts by developing profitable agro-forestry endeavours that generate a livelihood for local communities while improving the environment.
2) Revitalize the soil
Wind erosion has left farmers with sandy, mineral-drained topsoil, resulting in poor crop production. We plant fast-growing trees that improve soil quality and growing conditions, allowing for more valuable fruit, fodder, and food-producing trees to grow and enhancing the livelihoods of families.
3) Educate locals
We are educating farmers on forest garden planning, nursery establishment, planting design, and maintenance. As the crops grow, we train farmers on sustainable harvesting methods and more difficult topics such as pruning, grafting (tissue from one plant inserted into another to make it stronger), and seed storage.
4) Create revenue opportunities for locals
Our goal is to help families increase their agricultural-based income, on a chosen plot of land, by 100% within four years. We plant an array of tree crops that, once established, generate a steady and reliable source of food, marketable products, and income.
5) Create food security
Our tree planting design includes consistent, nutritious food that can be harvested throughout the year and sold at local markets or consumed at home. Previously farmers harvested peanuts, providing one payday each year and often only affording the family enough money for one meal a day.
6) Provide medicine
We plant trees with fruits that are applied on cuts and ulcers and used to fight fevers. The seeds are sedative and are taken to combat nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pains in pregnancy.
7) Supply tools
We provide farmers with the opportunity to participate in our planting curriculum. As they show progress, we give them the tools that they need such as watering cans, shovels, seed packets, and wheelbarrows.
8) Fight the desert
Our program aims to train communities to establish forest gardens, creating a green barrier against the encroaching Sahara Desert.
9) Produce wood & fodder
The trees provide woodcuttings suitable for fuelwood, carpentry, and charcoal. The leaves have a high level of protein and the sheer amount makes the trees a great source for forage.
10) Establish reliable partners
Trees for the Future is dedicated to planting trees within rural communities in the developing world, enabling them to restore their environment, grow more food, and build a sustainable future.
