By Trees for the Future Staff | Project Leaders
Standing among the healthy plants in her Forest Garden, Neema beams with pride. In the last year, she has established a living fence, tree and vegetable nurseries, compost, and recently planted amaranth and okra, which she will soon be able to harvest, improving her family’s food security and providing a healthier diet.
In previous years, her land was unprotected from roaming cattle, strong winds, and extreme weather. Now, her plot is protected by a fence of trees. Before, Neema would broadcast seeds, throwing them from her hand as she walked across her fields. Some would grow, but her success rate low as the scattered seeds were vulnerable to weather conditions and animals. Now, she plants her seeds in a nursery, nurturing and protecting them until they’re ready to be planted in the field. She has greatly increased her yields due to these minor changes. Additionally, she draws from her own compost pile to fertilize her crops instead of buying fertilizer in town. This has not only saved her money, but the quality of her soil has greatly improved.
It has not been all easy for Neema. In recent years she has noticed the rains have come less frequently, and for a shorter duration. She can no longer depend on the rains to come reliably each season, as her ancestors had.
However, through her partnership with Trees for the Future, she now uses water barrels that store rainwater. This has ensured she can water her vegetables and tree seedlings in her nursery with regularity through the dry season, making her more resilient to climate change. As the rains come more and more infrequently, these barrels will help farmers like Neema remain profitable and allow them to keep feeding their families through what is typically known as the “lean season” - a period of food insecurity for a community.
On behalf of Neema and the farmers in our Tanzania program, Trees for the Future would like to thank you for your help in supporting this project.
Sincerely,
The Trees for the Future team
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