Forests and Foods: How ForestPlanet Supports People and the Environment
The International Day of Forests theme for this year, “Forests and Foods,” highlights the essential role forests play in food security, nutrition, and livelihoods. At ForestPlanet, we have long recognized that human well-being is deeply intertwined with the health of our forests. When people struggle, deforestation accelerates. When communities thrive, reforestation efforts can flourish.
To celebrate this year’s theme, we share stories of how ForestPlanet’s work increases food production, sustainable jobs, and environmental resilience. Below are examples of our projects in Morocco, Madagascar, and Tanzania that align with several of the interconnected Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.
ForestPlanet provides good paying jobs for local community members.
Through our in-country partners, we hire locals for work in tree nurseries, planting, harvesting, and maintenance. So what does this have to do with food? A whole lot, actually. Most of the trees we plant produce flowers. Bees depend on the flowers’ nectar and pollen for their food, crops depend on bees for pollination, and we depend on the crops for our food. It’s an indirect but critical connection, especially as bee populations have been declining globally.
ForestPlanet also has income support projects that get at not cutting down trees in the first place. Many of our planting sites have been incrementally cleared in recent years, mainly by local inhabitants for fuel and lumber. Recognizing this reality, we replace one economic interest with another thatbenefits from trees. Our beehives project is a case in point. In the town of Pangani in Tanzania, we have hired a local carpenter to make 55 wooden beehives that will be placed in mangrove trees. These hives will support a collective of about twenty people who harvest the honey twice a year, providing about a third of their annual income.
ForestPlanet invests in agroforestry that produces nutritious foods.
Through our local partner in Morocco, the High Atlas Foundation, we have been supporting agroforest programs for many years. This relationship, developed through in person contact (involving many cups of tea and delicious meals), has resulted in our funding and oversight of nine amazing tree nurseries around the country, focusing mainly on nutrient-dense fruiting trees that can generate reliable incomes for decades.
Each nursery houses 200 – 300 thousand seedlings of the trees that produce:
- Figs (Ficus carica) which are rich in fiber, loaded with antioxidants, are good source of minerals (high in calcium, potassium, magnesium, and iron, which support bone and heart health)
- Pomegranates (Punica granatum) which are high in antioxidants that reduce inflammation, support heart health, and boosts immunity:
- Olives (Olea europaea) contain the heart-healthy fat, oleic acid; polyphenols (powerful antioxidants that help reduce inflammation and lower disease risk); and high levels of Vitamin E.
- Carobs (Ceratonia siliqua), a healthy chocolate alternative, rich in fiber, and a good source of calcium and magnesium. They also contain tannins that help regulate cholesterol levels.
- Cashews (Anacardium occidentale), also rich in healthy fats, an excellent source of protein, and high in the minerals magnesium, zinc, and copper.
- Argan (Argania spinosa), rich in vitamin E and essential fatty acids. They also help regulate blood sugar, with some studies suggesting they may have anti-diabetic properties.
In addition to the health benefits of the food we produce, the nature of the work we support is also healthy. The jobs are safe, provide physical exercise and involve being outside in nature (it doesn’t get much better than that!)
ForestPlanet hires local people, about half of whom are women.
We continue to hire women for all facets of our work, from native seed collection, to seedling packing, nursery work, and tree planting. Fortunately, each of these jobs have traditionally been done by all people in the countries we work in, avoiding any cultural barriers. This work is also frequently communal, reinforcing traditional norms of socialization and employment.
ForestPlanet was created to plant trees – the single most effective land-based carbon removal method.
The majority of the trees we have planted are mangroves, the workhorses of carbon removal. Fun fact: Mangroves sequester more CO2 per unit area than any other tree species! Studies indicate that mangroves sequester carbon at rates 2-4 times greater than mature tropical forests, and they can store up to 10 times more carbon per hectare than terrestrial forests.
Mangroves are also the foundation for a complex ecosystem. Their dense roots stabilize shorelines, preventing erosion and the silt runoff that can choke ocean coral. Their ecosystems are also the birthplace of fish, crabs, shrimp, and other marine species that contribute to the food and income autonomy of thousands of people.
Photo credit: Forbes
For these reason and so many more, ForestPlanet is pleased to celebrate this year’s #ForestDay along with the global community of people committed to all forms of reforestation. We thank our generous supporters and partners for the privilege of being able to do the work that we do and be a part of this wonderful community.