Africa Wood Grow has a bottom-up approach that involves the local community in every step of the process. The local community is the driver of the process of restoring the degraded landscape. Local farmers choose to plant trees collectively on their own land. By planting a variety of indigenous tree species, biodiversity has increased and stimulated the sustainability and production of agroforestry practices. As an example, Melia Volkensii, is a species native to the East Kenyan region.

The trees are essential for the well-being of the community and the surrounding nature. They improve the soil fertility, keeping more water in the soil before slowly releasing it to the Tiva River. Additionally, the canopy cover protects the soil from direct precipitation, allowing the water to reach deeper into the ground and enhance soil quality. Consequently, the trees have prevented the erosion of fertile soil. Moreover, fallen leaves of the trees, mixed with animal compost, enrich the soil significantly, leading to higher agricultural output in the long run and improved food security.

Regional strategy

All three entities of Africa Wood Grow, aim to widely implement this method to reduce soil degradation and improve livelihoods, here is how:

 

Africa Wood Grow’s strategy is to establish example farms in the Tiva river catchment, where the agroforestry approach is applied. These farms demonstrate the benefits of agroforestry to the local farmers, and provide them with the resources they need to adopt this approach such as knowledge, seedlings and water.

 

This strategy is adopted because Africa Wood Grow prioritizes the well-being and empowerment of the local community. The farmers are the main operators of the process, as without their support and involvement the practice of agroforestry would not be spread. Therefore, mutual trust and honest cooperation are the main values that maintain the work of Africa Wood Grow as a whole.

The first step in the strategy is to build an example farm, which is done and managed by Africa Wood Grow Limited (company). Here, promising and new agroforestry techniques are demonstrated and tested. Depending on the proximity of the example farm to an AWG nursery, a new nursery could be established to provide seedlings to the farmers. The farmers who wish to join the movement are assisted by Africa Wood Grow through training, providing all necessary knowledge and materials, to ensure long-term success.

Once an example farm is established, the local community can start joining and copying the agroforestry practices on their own land (step 2).

Different example farms are strategically established throughout the area where Africa Wood Grow is active (step 3).

The agroforestry farms

Once a farmer becomes an official member of the Community Based Organization, the process of adopting agroforestry on their farm begins. The process is as follows:

 

1. The farmer’s field is fenced with local material to prevent (many) wandering animals, such as goats, from eating or destroying the trees.

2. Sow pits and other soil and water conservation techniques such as contour trenches are established to prevent erosion and capture rainwater. At the example farms, utilities are installed for access to water and electricity.

3. Trees are planted just before the long rainy season in November.

4. The trees are monitored closely to ensure their survival. Any tree that does not survive are replaced shortly before the short rainy season in April.

 

Once the trees are established, the farmer can start pruning them to keep them healthy and allow more light to reach the crops growing under the trees. Another advantage is that the prunings can be used as firewood, which prevents people from cutting other trees in the area. For this reason, the rate of trees that were cut in the area has decreased in the past years.

Support us

Support us with a donation. Transfer your donation to
NL65 TRIO 0197 9433 73, citing Stichting Africa Wood Grow in The Hague.

The Africa Wood Grow Foundation has ANBI status, making donations tax deductible in the Netherlands.