Trees for the Future

“We have a responsibility to look after our planet. It is our only home.” Dalai lama

‘Trees for the Future’ is an international nonprofit organisation that has planted over 65 million trees since 1989. They have three essential goals:

• To alleviate poverty
• To eradicate hunger
• To heal the environment

We all rely on agriculture to survive. Over the last 40 years, the world has been stripped of our primary natural resource: trees. Most of this deforestation has happened due to industrial agriculture, which has proven to be one of the leading causes of climate change and global malnutrition.

Why, in 2019, are humans still starving? Industrial agriculture, urban growth and global warming together have almost wiped out smallholder farmers which used to provide for underprivileged communities. But not all hope is lost, there is a way to revitalize degraded land, improve biodiversity and reduce climate change. The answer is Forest Gardens.

Also known as ‘food gardens’, Forest Gardens are an exceptionally reliable form of sustainable agriculture that replicates a natural woodland ecosystem. Of course, the main produce is edible food crops, but forest gardens also yield plants used for sustainable fuel, timber or medicine providing an all-round nurturing support system for a community.

A typical Forest Garden usually consists of thousands of trees that provide families in small and impoverished communities with livestock feed, products to sell, sustainable wood for building and food sources for themselves and their animals. This combination increases their annual income, on average, about 400% in just a few years.

Over a four-year period, ‘Trees for the Future’ trains farmers to plant and manage fruit trees, vegetable crops, hard-woods and fast-growing trees. The farmers have around 60 different species of trees and produce over 12 types of vegetables. This valuable training changes lives forever, communities are gives them the means to be self-sufficient and enjoy a life free from malnutrition and poverty.

Alaria has chosen ‘Trees for the Future’ as our charity of choice, to combat climate change, revitalize degraded lands and improve livelihoods. We strongly believe in providing poverty-stricken communities a chance to better their lives for themselves. The Forest Gardens are a perfect example of this, instead of giving communities food or funds to get them through a month, this gives them a way to eat and live forever. The gardens provide an income, but also encourage empowerment, unity, leadership and education. Trees for the Future has trained farmers all around Sub-Saharan Africa including Cameroon, Kenya, Senegal, Uganda and Tanzania.

When you purchase a product from Alaria, you are making a direct impact on both the earth and the lives of people who need support the most. By helping us to plant trees with Trees for the Future, you are giving families the ability to transform their lives and the lives of future generations to come.

 

For every Alaria purchase you make,

5 trees

will be planted by Trees for the Future.

 

Check out their website on trees.org

 

– By Arabella Hogg