Editor’s note: This article has been updated.
Eartheasy has long believed that planting trees is an act of hope. Through our partnership with Trees for the Future, that act of hope also helps break the cycles of hunger and poverty facing farmers in sub-Saharan Africa.
That’s because Trees for the Future doesn’t just plant trees. The organization trains farmers in agroforestry, teaching them to grow sustainable farming systems called Forest Gardens.
What is a forest garden?
Unsustainable land use is at the root of the globe’s most pressing problems. The average one-acre Forest Garden is home to thousands of trees and sequesters about 63 metric tons of carbon over 20 years. Forest Gardens restore the soil and natural biodiversity of the land while providing food and income opportunities to the farming family.
In 2022 alone, Trees for the Future reached more than 10,000 new farmers, helping farm families increase their income, improve family nutrition and restore their scarce farmland. The program also helps fight climate change and allows families to put more food on the table and more savings in the bank.
Photo of farmer Basili from Singida, Tanzania.
How does the partnership work?
Corporate partners like Eartheasy contribute to Trees for the Future by donating every time someone makes a purchase. In addition to planting one tree for every purchase year round, Eartheasy is tripling donations for purchases made between November 20 and December 1, 2023.
Originally founded in 1989 when Dave and Grace Deppner witnessed the link between deforestation and poverty, Trees for the Future has a mission to improve the livelihoods of impoverished farmers by revitalizing degraded lands.
Eartheasy is showing a commitment to the environment and some of the world’s most vulnerable communities by supporting Trees for the Future’s plans to plant more than billion trees by 2030. We’ve already helped the organization reach over 270 million trees planted in total through its history. Over 155,000 of those trees have been planted directly through Eartheasy contributions.
Farmer Ally Rajabu Mahayu with family in their Forest Garden, March 2022. Photos by Sam Vox.
Why a billion trees?
Eartheasy believes there is a critical need to reimagine our relationship with the Earth. Farmland is one of our most precious ecosystems, but instead of degrading the land in pursuit of more and bigger profits, our food system must be grounded in a sustainable, long-term view.
Sustainable agriculture can reverse damaged land and feed more people in the process. Agroforestry helps farmers embrace trees rather than clearing them to grow food. The more trees planted, the more land healed–and the more chance we have of protecting people and landscapes from disastrous climate impacts.
What everyone does in the next ten years matters. Working together with Trees for the Future, we can help make lasting change.
To learn more about Trees for the Future or to donate to their campaign, visit Trees for the Future.
