Environment

We are building resilient communities by engaging men and women in increasing biodiversity and conservation of natural resources in communities where livelihoods are threatened by the impacts of climate change. Our interventions are:

1. Environmental Education. We are educating community members like farmers, children, and local leaders at different levels among others on issues concerning the protection of the environment, mitigation of the impacts of climate change, and ways to adapt to these climatic changes.

2. Food forestry. We are working with selected smallholder farmers to improve their resilience towards climate change impacts through the adoption of the food forest model where smallscale farms grow indigenous multipurpose trees together with field crops to meet their food needs while restoring the environment at the same time. Food forestry gardens are improving nutrition, helping families to generate incomes from farm products, improving access to firewood, and restoring the environment by growing a variety of trees and shrubs on the same land. Learn more about food forestry here

3. Tree planting. Together with community members, schools and other institutions, we plant indigenous trees that provide multiple benefits like fruits, firewood, medicine, fodder for livestock and other benefits. Our largest number of tree growers are farmers who integrate tree growing on their farms as an enterprise or for the direct benefits they get from these trees. Community members are engaged in tree planting campaigns on special events to plant trees on degraded land, school land, and in other institutions that we collaborate with. To learn more about our work with schools visit the Eco-schools project .

4. Solar energy project. We are improving access to clean, safe, and sustainable renewable energy for lighting, cooking, and business operations. We promote affordable solar energy products in off-grid communities of Lwengo district. We also promote improved cookstoves made from locally available materials and are environmentally friendly. Visit the link to SolarYo site.

Our Impact.

Over the years, through our environmental interventions, we have educated farmers on environmental protection, planted trees with farmers and constructed improved cookstoves (Eco-stoves) that efficiently use less firewood and have reduced stress on natural forests. Farmers have contributed to the restoration of biodiversity on farms when they use compost manures and plant-based remedies for their crops and livestock.