The Power of Trees (Verified Reforestation) Fund

The climate crisis is real and it is already affecting the world we are living in today. Climate change is the biggest challenge we face as individuals, as businesses, and as a planet. It is imperative that we take transformative, bold actions today to give us the best chance to secure a livable future. Nature-based solutions are a cost-effective means to deliver up to one third of the emissions reduction needed by 2030 - investment in nature today is key to transitioning to net zero by 2050 to meet the Paris Agreement. Moreover, restoring nature through investing in nature-based solutions can create real and substantial benefits for all: people, nature and the planet. Mother Trees is an international organization harnessing the power of trees to restore degraded landscapes through regenerative agroforestry and forest ecosystem restoration. Through its flagship approach, the Lifetree program, Mother Trees deploys a comprehensive agroforestry and forestry initiative designed to address critical challenges in the agricultural and forestry sectors across Africa. In Senegal, the conventional crop intensification model has proven inadequate, jeopardizing livelihoods, degrading soils, contributing to biodiversity loss, and aggravating the effects of climate change. The conventional peanut monocropping model has led to adverse environmental and economic impacts. The Ndankou and Patte Forests, despite successful past management, face threats such as encroaching peanut farming and reduced forest cover. The Lifetree Senegal program seeks to restore as much of the 30,000 hectares of degraded land surrounding the forests as possible, starting with 6,000 farming families each with one hectare each. By rehabilitating degraded lands, implementing sustainable practices, and fostering community ownership, the program aims to contribute to the long-term richness and sustainability of the Gambia River Watershed. The program's objectives encompass training farmers, rehabilitating farms, forming agroforestry cooperatives, and building the capacity for forest restoration through the Lifetree System. Executed over a four-year plan, Lifetree involves strategic planning, protection measures, and optimization for diverse and market-focused crops. The agroforestry design promotes resilience, sustainability, moisture retention, and natural pest control, aligning with the program's overarching goal of fostering prosperity and resilience. The initiative also addresses socio-economic aspects, promoting improved income, enhanced food security, youth employment, entrepreneurship, gender equality, and social inclusion.