APOPO HeroTREEs - a Climate-Smart Solution

Hello and welcome to your latest update on your incredible support of APOPO's HeroTREEs program! It has indeed been another exciting quarter for APOPO, our partner SAT and our HeroTREEs project. 

As always, we have, in partnership with SAT been undertaking inspections of the farms, ensuring that the farmers are equipped and fully knowledgeable about the syntropic farming practices they have been taught.  

Perhaps the most exciting statistic for the last quarter is that, with your support, we have planted 3,400 trees in the Uluguru Mountains!

We have also been ensuring the proper management of seedlings at nurseries, which have been set up, for example, there are 6,000+ seedlings at Bong’olas Nursery alone! Of these seedlings, there are more than six plant and tree varieties, including Khaya, Ficus, Cedrella, Jackfruits, Avocado, and Macadamia. 

SAT and APOPO are now helping farmers generate more income through the HeroTREEs project, encouraging activities like vegetable production, which the farmers can sell at the market. Four Vegetable Demonstration plots were prepared at four villages including Choma, Tulo, Kibundi, and Ruvuma.

We now have 4 dedicated HeroTREE inspectors and they are being trained on Information and Technology issues to improve the monitoring activities through data collection by experimenting with various methods of record keeping. We will then choose the best software for monitoring where all the trees are planted and implement it.  

We also decided to expand our knowledge about syntropic farming and begin staff training programs across our global operational countries, enabling staff to produce their food and become more sustainable. For example, we now have a flourishing syntropic farm at our Tanzania Headquarters, and a thriving syntropic farm at our TB Detection program in Ethiopia, which has just yielded delicious apples for the HeroRATs and staff!

Most recently, we have planted a new syntropic farm in Angola, where we are undertaking the task of clearing the country of landmines.  37 of our team members have just wrapped up a transformative two-day training course in syntropic farming, led by the expert Roland van Reenan in Cuanza Sul province. This course marks a step forward in sustainable agriculture, teaching the team to create food forests that work alongside nature.

Your support of our team's journey into syntropic farming is just beginning. Stay tuned as we turn new soil and grow together, embracing eco-friendly practices for a greener future! Thank you!

Links:

• HeroTREEs on APOPO website