Trees For The Future Inc

OUR MISSION IS TO IMPROVE THE LIVELIHOODS OF IMPOVERISHED FARMERS BY REVITALIZING DEGRADED LANDS.

TREES FOREST GARDEN SYSTEMS ARE DESIGNED TO BE LOCALLY APPROPRIATE TO HELP FARMERS IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD GROW A MIXTURE OF FOOD, FUEL, AND FODDER IN A CLIMATE-SMART SYSTEM THAT BUILDS THE HEALTH OF SOILS AND ENDS FARMERS' RELIANCE ON COSTLY AND DIRTY FOSSIL FUEL-BASED INPUTS. THEY ARE IMPLEMENTED OVER A FOUR-YEAR PERIOD IN IMPOVERISHED FARMING COMMUNITIES ALONG ESTABLISHED TRADE ROUTES IN ORDER TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE RELATIVELY EASY ACCESS TO LOCAL MARKETS. ALL PROJECTS ARE LED BY LOCAL LEADERS AND LEAVE A LEGACY OF CAPACITY YEARS AFTER PROJECTS END. AT THE ONSET OF EACH PROJECT, TREES STAFF MEMBERS IDENTIFY OR TRAIN LOCAL TECHNICIANS WHO WORK DIRECTLY WITH FARMERS TO DESIGN TAILORED FOREST GARDENS THAT MEET THE DISTINCT NEEDS OF THE FAMILY, COMMUNITY, AND CLIMATIC CONDITIONS WHERE THE FARMERS ARE LOCATED. CROP AND TREE VARIETIES ARE SELECTED BY THE FARMERS, WITH TREES TECHNICIANS GUIDING FARMER GROUPS THROUGH A METHODOLOGY THAT MAXIMIZES YIELDS WHILE ALSO SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF THE LAND BEING FARMED. THE FOREST GARDEN ENGAGES THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT AND SKILL OF LOCAL FARMERS, ALLOWING THEM TO DRAMATICALLY AND PERMANENTLY INCREASE THEIR INCOME, REVITALIZE THEIR DEGRADED LANDS, AND BENEFIT GENERATIONS TO COME. ALL FOREST GARDEN PROJECTS ARE DEVELOPED WITH AN EMPHASIS ON SUSTAINABILITY AT BOTH THE FARM AND LANDSCAPE LEVELS. AT THE FARM LEVEL, THE FOREST GARDEN IS ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE BECAUSE IT CONTAINS MANY TREES SOLELY DEDICATED TOWARD SERVING ECOSYSTEM PURPOSES: FAST-GROWING, NITROGEN FIXING TREES BUILD SOILS BY ADDING ORGANIC MATTER TO THE TOPSOIL AND BY FIXING NITROGEN INTO THE SOIL VIA THEIR ROOTS. THESE "GREEN FERTILIZER" TREES ELIMINATE THE NEED FOR FARMERS TO PURCHASE ENVIRONMENTALLY HARMFUL CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS. THE FOREST GARDEN DESIGN ALSO CONSIDERS INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT, USING TREES AND VEGETATION TO SERVE AS BARRIERS FOR PESTS AND SOURCES FOR NATURAL PESTICIDES (SUCH AS NEEM TREES), REDUCING THE NEED FOR FARMERS TO PURCHASE HARMFUL CHEMICAL PESTICIDES. AT THE LANDSCAPE LEVEL, FOREST GARDENS ARE ESSENTIAL TOOLS FOR REDUCING PRESSURE ON FORESTS, HELPING TO END THE BATTLE BETWEEN FARMS AND FORESTS.