1 order = 1 tree planted

When you buy from us, we plant a tree for every order delivered

These trees help restore the environment, reduce the impact of climate change and create a greener earth for future generations. In developing countries, this equips people to grow their own food and build sustainable incomes for their families. In addition, several promising climate-smart agroforestry practices have been developed to improve crop yields and to revitalize soil health, water use efficiency and carbon storage.

The power of a single tree

Produces approximately 260 pounds of oxygen per year
Absorbs as much carbon in a year as a car produces driving 26,000 miles
Helps lower air temperature and helps combat climate change
Stabilizes the soil and prevents wind and soil erosion through its roots
Contributes to the fertility of land through nitrogen fixation and increasing water penetration

A deeper look: sustainable tree planting practices in Africa

This forest garden planting program helps train farmers in developing countries on how to build productive and sustainable crops and farms. We plant a tree for every product sold, enabling the development of rural communities, empowering local people to restore their environment, grow their own food and build a sustainable income and future for themselves, their families and their communities. We are proud to be able to continuously contribute to the development of these regions.

By planting specific types of fast-growing trees, fruit trees, hardwoods and food crops in a systematic manner over a four-year period, families can positively change their lives forever. Program participants plant thousands of trees that provide families with sustainable food sources, livestock feed, products to sell, fuelwood and a 400% increase in their annual income in four years.

Our partner

TREES focuses its efforts on tropical locations around the globe where trees can have the most beneficial impact on the environment
Tropical species planted in the tropics grow much quicker and for longer periods each year than non-tropical species planted in colder climates
Tailor agroforestry techniques to the needs of the community
In communal forests, they focus on large-scale reforestation and the development of non-timber forest products
In agricultural fields, the focus is on fast-growing multipurpose trees that serve as windbreaks, firebreaks, woodlots or living fences that help with erosion control and improve soil fertility

How does the forest garden program work?

Our partner, a non-profit organization TREES plants all sorts of trees and plants, and almost all the trees they use are either native or naturalized in the environments where we plant them. TREES partners with farmers to understand their needs and match them with species that will suit their needs and be environmentally benign.

The farmers we work with learn to grow a variety of fast-growing trees, fruit trees, hardwoods and vegetables. We use the fast-growing trees to secure and stabilize degraded lands. Then we help the farmer diversify his field with fruit trees and hardwoods. Farmers intercrop vegetables and field crops among the trees.

TREES Forest Garden Project methodology follows a phased approach that begins with mobilizing resources and stakeholders, then guides farmers through a series of steps, over the course of up to four years, through which they learn to design, establish, and manage their Forest Gardens before graduating from the program. The five-phase approach includes:

Phase I: Mobilization – In the first phase of the approach we hire project staff and meet with relevant stakeholders (government representatives, community leaders, and potential partners) to solicit their support and formalize the project. With the help of stakeholders, we identify interested farmer groups, lead farmers, and participants, and host orientation workshops prior to pursuing training and extension activities.

Phase II: Protection – Phase II through IV comprise the phases of Forest Garden establishment. In the protection phase we provide farmers with the skills and resources needed to protect their forest garden sites. Farmers achieve this by planting green walls – an enhanced version of a living fence that we have developed – around the perimeters of their sites. They then plant fast-growing fertilizer trees throughout their sites, often in alleys among their crops, to further stabilize their soils and enhance fertility.

Phase III: Diversification – As the green walls grow and soils become increasingly fertile, farmers begin to diversify the products they grow in their Forest Gardens. During this phase, farmers plant higher-value vegetables, fruit, nuts, and timber trees. They also learn increasingly advanced skills and techniques that will help them manage their Forest Gardens more effectively and sustainably.

Phase IV: Optimization – In the fourth phase, farmers will learn to adopt advanced Forest Garden planting and care, integrated pest management, and conservation techniques that optimize and ensure the long-term health, productivity, and profitability of their land.

Phase V: Graduation – The fifth and final phase of TREES Forest Garden approach consists of transitioning ownership of the project to the farmer groups to continue supporting each other as a team in the on-going development and management of their Forest Gardens and marketing of products . Projects are concluded with a graduation ceremony during which we recognize the efforts and accomplishments of farmers, staff, and other stakeholders, and present farmers who have completed the program with Master Forest Gardener Certification