Trees for the Future and the Arbor Day Foundation announced a partnership today to plant one million trees in Senegal in the coming year as part of the #TeamTrees campaign.
An effort by #TeamTrees raised over $20 million to plant 20 million trees. The Arbor Day Foundation is investing those dollars in tree planting efforts around the globe.
Trees for the Future is a regenerative agroforestry nonprofit that teaches smallholder farmers to protect their land, diversify their crops, and optimize their space through what is called the Forest Garden Approach. This approach enables farmers to revitalize their degraded lands in a way that effectively relieves hunger, poverty, and deforestation.
“We’re ecstatic and grateful to receive support from the Arbor Day Foundation and to be part of the #TeamTrees movement,” said Trees for the Future Executive Director John Leary. “This fundraising effort by #TeamTrees really demonstrated the public interest in tree planting, and we’re looking forward to showing everyone the power of reforesting a landscape with Forest Gardens.”
“We are thrilled that Trees for the Future is joining the #TeamTrees movement, which continues to harness the powerful impact of planting trees,” said Dan Lambe, president, Arbor Day Foundation. “Thanks to the participation of more than 800,000 #TeamTrees donors, initiatives like Forest Garden are using trees to benefit local people, ecosystems, and economies across the globe.”
The one million trees will be planted in Senegal, West Africa, where Trees for the Future teaches farmers to grow a variety of tree species that serve multiple purposes. Fast growing, thorny trees will form protective living barriers around the perimeter of each farm. Nitrogen-fixing trees will improve the soil and crops. Fruit and nut trees will provide food and a source of income for families earning less than $1.25 a day.
“We aren’t just planting trees for the sake of it. We’re teaching farmers how to embrace trees and agroforestry for their benefit and the benefit of the environment,” said Leary. “When the farmer has a vested interest in the success of the trees, they’re more likely to survive and thrive!”
To learn more about Trees for the Future’s Forest Garden Approach, visit trees.org.