Trees for the Future is using regenerative agriculture training to sustainably end poverty for farmers & better the environment. As a UN World Restoration Flagship, TREES is recognized as one of the best large-scale ecosystem restoration efforts on the planet. The prestigious Flagship award is part of an effort by the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration to ensure that measurable progress is made on the UN’s environmental goals by 2030. The initiative works closely with tens of thousands of farmers living in poverty on degraded lands following decades of unsustainable agriculture practices, deforestation, pollution, and climate change. TREES provides training in a regenerative agroforestry technique called the Forest Garden Approach.
In this four-year program, farmers receive training, seeds, and other resources, while planting thousands of trees and dozens of food and resource crops on their property. Participating farmers typically own one hectare of land or less.
Trees for the Future (TREES) employs a variety of methods and techniques to achieve its reforestation and sustainable agriculture goals, most notably through their Forest Garden Program.The Forest Garden is an agroforestry system that combines tree planting with sustainable agricultural practices to restore degraded land and improve food security for smallholder farmers. This approach improves soil health, reduces erosion, and provides food, fodder, fuel, and other resources to farmers. Trees are planted alongside crops, improving biodiversity and allowing crops and trees to complement each other. This promotes better land utilization and higher yields. Organic materials like leaves and crop residues are spread over the soil to retain moisture, suppress weeds, and add nutrients as the material decomposes. Farmers are encouraged to collect and store rainwater to use during dry periods, which reduces the reliance on external water sources. TREES helps farmers set up local tree nurseries, where they can grow seedlings before transplanting them into their Forest Gardens. Farmers receive training on how to care for and plant the seedlings in a way that ensures their survival and growth. TREES selects a wide variety of tree species for each Forest Garden, including fast-growing trees for quick results and slow-growing species for long-term sustainability. The organization promotes planting trees that provide various benefits, such as fruit trees for food, nitrogen-fixing trees to enrich the soil, and hardwood trees for timber. TREES offers extensive training to farmers on agroforestry, sustainable farming, and business skills. This ensures that farmers understand how to plant and care for their crops and trees. The Forest Garden model increases climate resilience by diversifying crops and creating a more stable and productive agricultural ecosystem, helping communities withstand extreme weather events.
