Forest Garden
Key details
Cost per tree: | £0.27 |
Cost per tonne of CO2: | £4.70 |
Trees planted: | 200 million |
Project established: | 1989 |
Project location: | Senegal, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda |
Planting partner: | Trees for the Future |
Selva Power Up
Helping Hand: Thanks to the fruit and veg that the farmers grow in their Forest Garden, they are able to earn an income and feed their families. By supporting this project, you are supporting the livelihoods of families across sub-Saharan Africa.
Project location
Why we love this project
It turns out trees are great at both saving the environment and fighting poverty. How? Through the Forest Garden approach. In this project, run by our partner Trees for the Future, low-income farmers in sub-Saharan Africa are supported in transforming their land into sustainable food and forestry gardens!
The Forest Garden approach is simple, replicable, and scalable with proven success. Farmers are trained and provided with the equipment to grow a variety of trees, fruits and vegetables in their Forest Garden, each of which consists of ~2500 trees and bushes.
All the greenery help restore the environment and absorb CO2, all while providing the farmers with income and access to food. Win, win, win, win, win.
Where each $ goes
For every £, $ or € you channel to this project, 68% goes directly to the on-the-ground planting program. These costs include training the farmers in the forest garden approach, tools, seeds and water. 17% goes towards our partner’s overheads which include the long-term monitoring of the trees as well as the cost of running their offices and the administrative staff. The leftovers contribute to Selva’s humble running costs and enable us to grow our community.
Transparency
The income yielding nature of the Forest Garden approach means that farmers are well incentivised to protect their trees for the long run. Our partner helps the farmers implement sustainability strategies and also teaches them about long-term conservation during the 4-year training programme!
Each of the Forest Gardens are actively monitored by our partner through regular on-the-ground check ups and digital tracking to ensure long-term impact.
You don’t need to worry, Trees for the Future have won a bunch of awards from leading charity watchdog groups that recognise their brilliant and transparent work. They also have various large donors who are extremely diligent and ensure that the whole process is being done as expected.
About our partner
Trees for the Future’s mission is to end hunger and poverty by training farmers to regenerate their land. It’s safe to say they are doing a pretty phenomenal job of it. Since their founding in 1989, they have helped to plant over 200 million trees across 27,000 acres, helping improve the lives of ~152,000 people.
Trees for the Future is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organisation based in the US.
