49,000 farmers have restored their degraded farmland through an agroforestry technique called the Forest Garden Approach. With training from regenerative agriculture nonprofit Trees for the Future (TREES), farmers have planted a combined 300 million trees on their land.
“This land before was unproductive, but now you can see it is very productive. I’ve planted a big Forest Garden. I’ve already planted over 7,200 seedlings,” says Kenyan farmer Mary Ndanzu.
Forest Gardens are made up of thousands of trees and dozens of different food and resource crops. Farmers are able to restore their land, increase tree cover, repair soil, improve biodiversity, and capture carbon – all while increasing household access to healthy food and a steady income.
“I have different varieties of crops, spinach, giant nightshade, spider plants, and amaranth. I’m very happy about Trees for the Future,” Ndanzu says.
The TREES community is celebrating the farmers they serve and their recent milestones all April long in honor of Earth Day (April 22nd).
“Earth Day brings a lot of attention to the environmental movement and inspires action around the world,” says Director of Development Brian MacNair. “This month, we’re encouraging our community to harness that energy and break the cycle of environmental degradation by helping us train more farmers, plant more trees, and restore more land.”
Donor Impact to Date:
- 303 million trees planted
- 49,000 Forest Gardens established
- 332,000+ people impacted
- 71,000+ acres restored
TREES currently works in six countries and collaborates with dozens of like-minded organizations. Learn more about their work, impact, and financials at trees.org. Donations can be made at donate.trees.org, or find other ways to get involved here.
