Trees for the Future is a nonprofit organization that aims to end hunger, end poverty, and improve the environment. They work with communities in Africa and train farmers to regenerate their land by planting trees and growing crops using a technique called the Forest Garden Approach. This model brings nutrients back to soil that was previously barren to create a sustainable environment for a variety of fruits and vegetables to grow. Farmers are taught how to maintain their land to sell their produce to local markets and create an income while supplying them with food to feed their families and community.
How Does Trees For The Future Help The Environment?
Each Forest Garden helps produce less carbon in the atmosphere and shows communities a more sustainable way to grow and sell their crops. The program focuses on areas that have experienced deforestation and consist of dry, dead soil. Farmers are shown how to manage the amount of shade, sun, and water on their land to recharge the soil. With trees, vegetables, and other food sources planted in the area, brings new life to the land and increases biodiversity. These practices diminish the need for deforestation by providing farmers with their own supply of food and timber.
Where Are The Trees Planted?
The organization currently works with thousands of families across nine countries. Current community tree-planting projects are located in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Mali, Senegal, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, and Gambia. Completed project locations include Nigeria, Ethiopia, Zambia, Guinea, and a number of other African countries. Trees for the Future worked around the world for many years and, in 2014, decided to focus on African countries where climate change and economic challenges were most pressing. Over the past 30 years, the nonprofit organization has planted 191 million trees and has helped 152,403 people.
When Was Trees For The Future Founded?
Trees for the Future was founded in 1989 by Dave and Grace Deppner who created the organization after volunteering for the Peace Corps in the Philippines. The couple came up with the idea after witnessing the negative impacts environmental destruction had on communities and working with community leaders in local villages. They provided farmers with tree seeds, technical training, and planning assistance to help them revitalize their land. Their goal was to do what no one else was doing: provide seeds, information, and training materials to communities that needed it the most.
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