UNDP chief: We must leverage financial innovation to back mitigation, adaptation efforts
Resident Representative in Egypt of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Alessandro Fracassetti said “We ...
TREES planted 100 million trees worldwide, expected to capture 80 m GHG metric tons
TREES initiative projects have already planted 100 million trees around the world. The initiative is expected to capture 80 million metric tons of the greenhouse gas (GHG) over 20 years.
As a World Restoration Flagship, TREES will now be eligible for technical and financial support from the United Nations. TREES officials say they are aiming to restore 2,290 square kilometers by 2030.
Over a four-year period, families participating in a TREES program receive training, seeds and tools to help them establish forest gardens on their often-small plots of land.
Since 2014,the initiative reported that it has supported 50,000 households in Kenya, Mali, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda.
According to Fatoumata Diehiou, the regional coordinator for TREES in Fatick, the initiative is also helping to stem the migration of young people from Senegal’s rural communities.
“Someone who finds work in their own region, in their country, will not go elsewhere,” Diehiou said.
Land degradation – referred to as desertification in drylands – affects communities across Sub-Saharan Africa. Falling soil fertility is undermining crop yields and livelihoods, and the ability of countries to feed their fast-growing populations. Amid alarm that climate change will intensify the problem, Africa is fighting back, including through restoration initiatives like TREES and the sweeping Great Green Wall project.
TREES’ “forest garden” model combines agroforestry – which incorporates trees and shrubs into agricultural systems – with sustainable farming practices. The goal is to build soil fertility and boost the yields of smallholder farmers. Experts say that is crucial to countering poverty and helping communities become more resilient to the impacts of climate change, including droughts, floods and storms.
Forest gardens are designed to provide families with a year-round supply of fruits, vegetables and other resources, including timber and firewood, for their own use and for sale.
By regreening the landscape, the gardens offset local deforestation. They also contribute to global efforts to conserve biodiversity, counter climate change and improve the health of soils.
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