The quarterly newsletter of Trees for the Future
Spring 2009 Vol. XVII, No. 1
Senegal in 2009: Using Ziziphus mauritiana to deter Hippos! Developing sustainable agriculture in Kedougou, a district in the Southeast corner of Senegal, is hindered by a number of obstacles - one of them being hungry hippos, which pillage green gardens along the Gambia River in the darkness of night. This issue, along with several others, was raised during a recent meeting held by Trees for the Future’s West Africa Program Coordinator Ethan Budiansky and TREES’s Business Coordinator Gabriel Buttram, with the Federation of Farmers in Kedougou during their February visit. The Gambia River begins in the Guinea Highlands and flows through Senegal and The Gambia before feeding into the Atlantic Ocean. Along its banks, farmers and women’s groups establish dry season gardens to supple-
ment their incomes. Unfortunately, the conventional gardening practices they use lead to the degradation and erosion of topsoil, which is carried into the river and eventually washed into the ocean. In addition to hippos, monkeys also tend to plunder these agricultural fields. Farmers therefore not only cut down existing woodlands to make room for more gardens, but they also cut down trees along the riverbank in order to remove the monkeys’ habitat and keep them away. Compounding the problem, farmers persistently burn their fields, destroying all ground vegetation and trees, which further exposes the soil. So, when the heavy rains come between August and November, topsoil that contains the nutrients needed to grow healthy, nutritious crops washes out to the sea.
Participants of Kaffrine workshop with certificates of completion Page 1 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XVII, No. 1
continued on page 5
Johnny Ipil-Seed News is a quarterly newsletter of TREES FOR THE FUTURE, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people of the world’s poorest communities to begin environmentally beneficial, self-help projects. This newsletter is printed using wind energy on recycled paper with soy-based ink and is sent to all supporting members to inform them of recent events, plans, financial matters and how their support is helping people.
Opinion: Who Will Plant the Trees?
It seems popular these days to talk about how bad the recession is. Instead, I find this the ideal time to thank each and every one of you for the great year we recently comBOARD OF DIRECTORS pleted and tell you why we Dr. John R. Moore - Chairman, Dr. Peter Falk - Vice Chairman, Mr. Oscar V. Gruspe - Finance Officer, Dave Deppner think 2009 will be even President, Mr. Bedru Sultan, Ms. Marilou Herman, Mr. Franz greater. Stuppard - Members, R. Grace Deppner - Recording Secretary Our Annual Report and a (non-voting) preliminary financial statement for 2008 are included in ADVISORY COUNCIL Mr. Franz N. Stuppard - Advisor on Haiti, Dr. Mizani Kristos this edition. We welcome your comments, and they are West African Development, Dr. James Brewbaker - University discussed at our weekly staff meetings. Trees for the of Hawaii, Mr. William Campbell - Seasoned Energy, Mr. Steve Future is, after all, your organization. McCrea - Global Climate Change, FL, Dr. Malcolm Novins I can remember, and maybe some of you who have been George Mason University, Dr. Noel Vietmeyer - The Vetiver with us for many years can too, when we worked out of Institute, Mr. Sean Griffin - Forestry & GIS Specialist, Mr. John Leary - Advisor on Senegal our living room and Grace cooked lunch for all of us; when we dreamed that someday we might plant a million STAFF trees in one year. In 2008, we did that every month, and Dave Deppner - Founder, Executive Director planted over 14,400,000 trees in one year. R. Grace Deppner - Founder, Associate Director That’s just a statistic. In reality a great many good things Maryann Manuel - Membership Services Jeffrey Manuel - Membership Services happened – and keep happening in this New Year - that Gorav Seth - International Programs Coordinator you should know about. Josh Bogart - Central America Coordinator People have quickly become more aware and more conEthan Budiansky - West Africa Coordinator cerned about the environment. Private businesses, always Jeff Follett - South America Coordinator mindful of changes in public attitude, have responded Francis Deppner - Southeast Asia Coordinator David Tye - East Africa Coordinator with bright new ideas that help people and the environHeather Muszyinski - Grants Coordinator ment, as well as their own bottom line. Tebabu Assefa - Media/Education Coordinator At the same time, in Europe and other places where peoBen Austin Docampo - TREE PALS Coordinator ple continue to be mindful of the Kyoto Treaty, the preGabe Buttram - Business Partner Coordinator vailing attitude continues to be “punish the evil-doers,” FIELD TECHNICIANS knowing that every one of us has a carbon footprint and Jean Bosco - Burundi, Louis Nkembi - Cameroon, Dr. Yigezu is, therefore, part of the problem. Shimeles - Ethiopia, Dr. Pascal Woldomariam - Ethiopia, On the other hand, the people we meet know there is a Guillermo Valle - Honduras, Subramanian Periyasamy - India, BIG threat that is becoming more of a threat every day, Sagapala Gangisetty - India, Manoj Bhatt - India, Donal Perez and so instead of blaming each other it’s better to join Nicaragua, Danny Zabala - Philippines, Omar Ndao - Senegal, Kay Howe - Indonesia, Fernanda Peixoto - Brazil together to solve it because, as we all understand, there isn’t a lot of time left. What we hear then is that trees do To receive this newsletter or for more information, contact: a lot of good things, and one of them is to take carbon out TREES FOR THE FUTURE of the atmosphere. So let’s plant trees. As Al Gore recently The Loret Miller Ruppe Center for Sustainable Development put it, “it will take a lot of trees.” P.O. Box 7027 Silver Spring, MD 20907 Attitude change is also happening at the highest levels Toll Free: 1-800-643-0001 throughout the Developing World. Grace and I felt so Ph: 301-565-0630 honored to be invited to the Presidential Palace in info@treesftf.org Ethiopia and more so to find that over 300 guests - heads WWW.PLANT-TREES.ORG continued on page 3 Page 2 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XVII, No. 1
of government agencies and the entire diplomatic corps, the so called international development organizations. were in attendance. All listening. Bitter experience has shown these people that their only The world is starting to see what your program can do. possible means of survival is to take matters into their own Encouraged by what the people of its villages have done hands and do things right. Time has grown too short for so far, Ethiopia has stated its determination to plant 100 any more disastrous mistakes. Thanks to many years of million trees over the next five years. Upon hearing that hard work, TREES has earned a place in this development news, some 20 African countries are calling for a “Greener struggle. Africa” program, planting a quarter Over this time, we’ve found more billion trees in those same five years. How good is that news? than 50 very convincing reasons why How good is that news? At a time people in these barren areas should be At a time when there is when there is genuine fear about working to bring back trees and forests. global warming, when scientists are genuine fear about glob- Not all those reasons benefit only those coming out of the woodwork saying al warming, when scien- who live in areas of deep poverty. In that nothing can be done, hundreds fact, an ever increasing number of tists are coming out of them have broad application in our of thousands of families are doing something! own land-use systems. the woodwork saying These millions of trees, spread That’s especially true in these ecothat nothing can be across the face of Africa, will take nomically-stressed times. Of the job done, hundreds of thousome seven million tons of carbon opportunities being studied by governdioxide out of the global atmosphere ment, one opportunity high on the list sands of families are – year after year. is farming. You only need to read the doing something! Still, we recognize that even a labels on cans in your local supermarquarter billion trees is only a small ket to understand why. green speck compared to what needs to be done, both in So we see this year not as a time of economic desperaAfrica and throughout the Developing World. So then, tion but a time of real opportunity to build a better way of who is going to plant all these trees? And why? life. A time to clean up our messes and rebuild the world’s The answer: it will be the people who live, and try to devastated lands. A time to develop new ideas and create survive, on these degraded and barren lands. The reasons new, sustainable products. A time to break away from they are doing this are many. Let’s look at one: people are groups dealing in hedge funds and toxic mortgages and to hungry. Over a billion people -one out of every six people start meeting real people willing to work with us to build on this planet- don’t get enough to eat. That’s a strong, a better world. condemning statement about the effects of globalization, about corporate greed, about the waste and hypocrisy of
Businesses and Individuals Building a New and Sustainable Economy Due to the drastic changes taking place in the business world, it is becoming clear that our economy in the future will probably be quite different from that in the past.. However, with all the political confusion and debate about what needs to be done to address our economic situation, it is sometimes difficult to know what businesses and individuals can do to change things. It is true that countless mistakes have been made, by politicians and businesses alike, which have led us to the state we are in. In the end though, it does no good to point fingers. What we need to do is address the mistakes that brought us to this point and find solutions that will steer us in a new direction. This requires a better vision of what we
hope to achieve in a new economy. For instance, do we want to return to a model that promotes profit above all else? Or is the sustained health of our society and environment as important to us as material wealth? It is important to recognize that we all participate in the economy, which means our actions will directly affect the outcome of a new economy. A more responsible economy hinges upon businesses and individuals proactively engaging in a different business model. As individuals, every time we purchase a sustainable product from a responsible company we are choosing to support and promote a healthier, more responsible economy. Businesses, by integrating sustainability into their operations, can promote continued on page 7 Page 3
Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XVII, No. 1
Kahiija Village Tree Nursery Training Workshop On February 17th and 18th, David Tye, the East Africa Regional Program Coordinator, facilitated a two-day workshop in Kahiija Village in Ntungamo District in Southwestern Uganda. This workshop was presented in partnership with ACTS, an international Canadian NGO that focuses on rural development in Southwestern Uganda. There were 18 participants in the two-day workshop, including 4 participants from Mbarara District and 14 participants from Ntungamo District. All of the participants showed, during previous projects with ACTS, a willingness to participate in new projects, to adopt new ideas, and to act as leaders within their communities. David was assisted by Johnson and Jovanise of ACTS, who provided their own insights into tree planting projects, and who helped David communicate with the participants by translating the workshop into the local language spoken throughout Ntungamo District. Johnson and Jovanise also identified the participants for this workshop and organized most of the workshop. During the first day, David, with the assistance of Jovanise and Johnson, discussed many aspects of managing a tree nursery including identifying the best location, seed preparation, and preparing seed beds. They detailed the use of polythene tubes and the barestem method on Swaziland Beds with maturing seedlings within the nursery. David also discussed daily maintenance of the tree nursery and preparing the seedlings for out-planting. Much of the first session was devoted to answering questions from the participants, to ensure that everyone fully understood the material presented. The second day included a practical session on establishing a tree nursery. The participants visited the nearby proposed tree nursery and discussed the merits of choosing the site as a tree nursery. After discussions, the participants began preparing the site by creating two seed beds; the first will be used to germinate the seeds while the second, which was double-dug, will be used to demonstrate the barestem method of maturing seedlings. Other participants then prepared seed pots, using polythene tubes. After the seed beds were prepared, the participants sowed seeds of 8 different species of multi-purpose tree seeds at the tree nursery site, and then built cover over the seed beds to protect the seedlings. David set aside enough time to answer all remaining questions during the second day. The tree nursery that the participants established will be
cared for by three local volunteers, who will transplant the seedlings when they germinate and water and weed the seedlings every day. David will lead a second workshop in June of this year, using the seedlings from this tree nursery. The next workshop will cover out-planting of tree seedlings, and planting trees in different agroforestry systems. All the participants from this workshop have been invited to the second workshop.
Activities from training workshop conducted by David Tye in Kahija village, Uganda
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Senegal in 2009 (continued from page 1) In an effort to increase soil conservation and sustainable of the Senegal program in Kaffrine. This program is led agroforestry practices in this region, Trees for the Future primarily by local technician Omar Ndao. In 2008 he recently brought on Karamba Diakhaby as the Kedougou helped farmers plant over 500,000 trees. This year, with Regional Technician. Ethan worked with Karamba as a the help of Peace Corps Volunteers, Omar anticipates helpPeace Corps Volunteer from 2002-2004 ing farmers to plant over one miland found him to be a highly motivated With the help of Ethan lion trees! In preparation for the agroforester and agriculturalist. This and other Peace Corps tree planting season, Omar and his year Karamba will be working with the Peace Corps Volunteer counterpart Federation and other farmers along the Volunteers, Karamba is organized an agroforestry workriver to replant trees and develop sustaintransforming his field shop on February 28 at Trees for able agriculture systems. All of the work the Future’s demonstration site and into a demonstration is being done in partnership with Peace training center just outside of site, utilizing trees for Corps Volunteers. These volunteers have Kaffrine. Seventy-seven men and been tremendously helpful in extending live fencing, windbreaks, women participated, including the work of Trees for the Future, finding alleycropping, contour eight Peace Corps Volunteers. motivated farmers, and assisting Ethan and Gabriel also participated planting, and fruit tree in the workshop, which went over Karamba in his efforts on the ground. To begin the restoration process, agroforestry concepts and methintercropping. Karamba and his Peace Corps counterods, and then distributed seeds, part will assist farmers to plant live fences around their training materials, and tools, so that the participants can fields, primarily utilizing species such as Ziziphus mauri- start their own nurseries. tiana, a fruit bearing and thorny local tree species. The The training workshop was a great success. Participants Ziziphus fruit can be sold in local markets. More impor- from over 20 villages around Kaffrine demonstrated a true tantly, many farmers seem confident that their sharp thorns motivation to plant trees. These participants were taught will not only protect their fields against children, goats and how to prepare seedling beds, how to plant and care for the cows, but eager hippopotamuses as well. Additionally, he seedlings, and when and how to plant the trees in agrowill show them how to plant other species, such as forestry systems. They learned best practices for establishLeucaena leucocephala and Gliricidia sepium, in ing live fences, windbreaks, and fruit tree orchards and continued on page 6 hedgerows along the contours of the bank to protect the soil against erosion. With the help of Ethan and other Peace Corps Volunteers, Karamba is transforming his field into a demonstration site, utilizing trees for live fencing, windbreaks, alleycropping, contour planting, and fruit tree intercropping. In addition, species such as Anacardium occidentale (cashew) are planted along the perimeter to ward off bush fires, which are a constant threat in such arid lands. Karamba is currently identifying local farmers and women’s groups to whom he will provide seeds and training to help establish tree nurseries for the upcoming tree planting season. For the past several years, Trees for the Future’s members and supporters have been Participants of Kaffrine workshop with tools and materials provided by Trees for the Future hearing about the wide-ranging success stories Page 5 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XVII, No. 1
Senegal in 2009 (continued from page 5) learned the various benefits of several different tree species that could be planted based upon their needs. Participants who have worked with TREES in the past were also helpful in sharing their experiences, challenges and success stories with tree planting. At the end of the workshop, tools and materials, including shovels, rakes, plastic sacs, hoses and watering cans, were distributed to 40 participants. Everyone also received certificates of completion. After the workshop, Gabe and Ethan spent their last few days in Senegal visiting several villages and numerous projects from 2008 to monitor and evaluate the results, and to provide recommendations for improving their techniques and maximizing the benefits from the trees. They were happy with what they saw. The majority of the farmers planted live fences around their fields and gardens to keep browsing livestock away from their crops. They primarily used Acacia nilotica, Prosipis juliflora, and Ziziphus Mauritania for this. A number of farmers also planted windbreaks and hedgerows alongside their crops with Leucaena Leucocephala. Mango, cashew and papaya trees were also integrated into their agroforestry systems. Though slower to grow, these trees will bear fruits and nuts that are important in increasing nutrition and food security
of families, while providing opportunities to supplement their income throughout the year. Many of the farmers are also developing dry season gardens within these fields, similar to the model which Omar is demonstrating in his personal garden. The fresh vegetables are sold in the local market or in the city of Kaffrine. Many of these farmers have seen significant economic benefits from their new activities. For example, Maamar Wilan, from Wilanene, praises the work and assistance of Omar and Trees for the Future and has significantly increased his monthly income through selling fruits and vegetables. He intends to save his earnings to invest in livestock to further diversify his income generation possibilities. The work that Omar and Karamba are doing in Senegal, in collaboration with Peace Corps, is a great example of the model which Trees for the Future is extending to several other countries. Through working at the grassroots level with individual farmers, we have found that we can help to significantly impact the economic and food security of families and communities while at the same time rehabilitating their environments so they might continue to live on their native lands for generations to come.
An Update from Northern India TREES, in partnership with RACHNA, is developing projects with 5 villages in the Uttarkashi district of the northern state of Uttarakhand, near the headwaters of the sacred Ganges river. RACHNA is working on a broad plan for the sustainable development of the region, including community owned guest houses that will serve food from local farms. TREES has partnered with them to help with the incorporation of agroforestry and sustainable agriculture projects that will help protect and restore the land in this mountainous region. The state of Uttarkahand has a unique community instutution known as the Van Panhayaat, or the village forestry council. These groups help Land that will be planted with fodder trees in manage the common lands of the village, and Raithal Village, Uttarakhand. are critical components of our program. Manoj Bhatt, the founder of RACHNA, recently met with village leaders, women's groups, and youth groups in these 5 villages, where they discussed the plans and decided on potential sites for nurseries. A major workshop and planning meeting is scheduled for the 8th of March. Look for more updates in our next newsletter. Page 6 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XVII, No. 1
Healthier Schools in Honduras In 2008, Trees for the Future began a partnership with trees with this program. In 2009, we hope to plant over Proyecto Escuelas Saludables Honduras (Healthy Schools 300,000! Honduras), a public/private sector partnership to improve nutrition and hygiene in some of the poorest schools in the country. Trees for the Future donated seeds of fast growing nitrogen fixing trees and fruit species to establish 1070 nurseries with schools involved in this project. On February 25th, Trees for the Future regional coordinator Joshua Bogart and technician JosĂŠ Hilario Osorio held a training event for all 172 municipal coordinators who are working with the Healthy Schools Program in Honduras. Topics discussed were treatment of seeds, planting methods, the uses for selected trees, and their integration into the active school gardens program. Joshua Bogart also briefly talked about the multiple uses of Moringa oliefera, which we are promoting as an important part of the existing school lunch program. Also discussed was the potential to schedule visits for our staff to visit Schoolchildren and their teacher about to plant trees schools to help with the completion of this project. In in Choluteca, Honduras! 2008, Trees for the Future helped to plant over 200,000
Businesses and Individuals Building a New and Sustainable Economy (cont’d from p1) responsibility throughout the production line and raise the er software company, is planting hundreds of thousands of bar for other businesses as well. trees in order to contribute to a healthier planet. Fortunately this change toward sustainability is beginThese are just a few of our largest donors. We have more ning to occur across all sectors of the economy. We see than 150 additional business partners that are actively proeach day that many businesses are not moting a new, more sustainable and We see each day that only taking a better look at the sustainsocially responsible economy as well. ability of their operations, but actually many businesses are You can visit our partnerships page at using their profits to contribute to a http://www.plant-trees.org/partnernot only taking a bethealthier world. ships.htm to learn more about all of For example, comScore, a global ter look at the sustain- them. internet information provider, has partPlanting trees is one action that these ability of their operanered with us to plant nearly a million businesses are taking to create a healthtions, but actually and a half trees to date, and continues to ier planet, but it is certainly not the only using their profits to support the planting of around 100,000 thing that can be done. There are countmore trees each month. Nature’s less activities and practices in which contribute to a Bounty, a nutritional supplement businesses can engage to become more healthier world. provider, will help plant a million trees responsible. There are countless other by 2010. In addition, the Trinity Oaks charitable organizations to support that winery and the Celestial Seasonings tea company are each promote a more just and healthy world. As individuals, if generously supporting the planting of well over a million we want to prevent the mistakes we have made in the past trees this year. Green Dimes and 41Pounds.org are two from happening again we need to seek out the services of service providers that are planting trees as part of their pro- these businesses, we need to look for their products on the gram to stop your junk mail; In-Ticketing plants a tree for shelves, and we need to give them our support. Doing this, each ticket purchased; and Leithauser Research, a comput- we can help to build a new and sustainable economy. Page 7 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XVII, No. 1
Trees, Climate Change and Global Warming It is happening NOW: We see its effects in our daily work: Storms are more frequent and more violent. Dry seasons are hotter and drier. Oceans are rising and safe drinking water is becoming scarce. Pests and diseases are moving into areas where they have never been seen before.
Why is carbon dioxide of special concern? This is, by far, the most common greenhouse gas and results from the combustion of fuels containing carbon. Annually, we are pumping more than 40 billion tons of CO2 into the global atmosphere, which now contains nearly 400 parts per million of carbon dioxide.
Human Activity is the main cause: Our dependence on fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) brings carbon, buried deep in the earth for millions of years, into our atmosphere, even as deforestation, “slash-and-burn” agriculture and other unsustainable land use systems greatly reduce the earth’s ability to absorb that carbon.
Are there ways to reverse the threat of global warming? Yes. The most obvious of these is to reduce our use of fossil fuels. This may include improving energy efficiency. A far more effective answer is to switch to sustainable alternative energy sources such as solar, wind, wave and hydro-electric power.
What are “greenhouse gases”? These gases, including carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane, find their way into our atmosphere and effectively form a blanket of insulation that prevents heat from escaping. The trapped heat slowly builds and average temperatures on earth are climbing because of this.
What about the carbon already in our atmosphere? Events such as Hurricane Katrina that destroyed New Orleans, the extreme heat wave now killing people in Australia, and out-of season storms that ravaged continued on page 10
A recent public service announcement released by TREES that highlights the connection between deforestation and global warming Page 8 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XVII, No. 1
A Fence that Feeds Cattle! It was a very short time after getting onto the bus for Another impressive network is the small farmers associMarilía that a man offered Jeff Follett an Oreo. After being ation that we are working with in Júlio Mesquita. The away from Brazil for over six moths, it caught him a little association was started by Azerildo and Luiza Mitsuka off guard. Jeff had just finished reading an opinion piece Miyashita Cassiano. They moved to the area nine years by Dave Deppner in the Winter 2008 edition of this ago, after living in the very large city of São Paulo for forty newsletter. In that piece, Dave talked about the way that years. They chose the area because Azerildo had family in we treat one another and how our actions reflect our level the area and because there is a university nearby in Marilía of respect for one another. for their son. Oh, and their The man’s simple act of son wanted to live close to a offering Jeff an Oreo brought McDonalds, which is relaBrazil back in focus for him. tively close – about 30 km. It The gentleman didn’t know wasn’t long after they moved Jeff, but he was willing to in that their neighbors started share whatever he had, to a betting pool about when treat Jeff with respect, and to they would give up and try to build a friendship. move back to the big city. Our work in Brazil is as It’s been nine years, and simple as the brief encounter some of the skeptics have Jeff had on the bus. We offer left the area, so it seems that something very basic (seeds Azerildo and Luiza have and technical assistance), try beaten the odds. to understand people’s posiThey started working with tions and issues, and build cattle for dairy production relationships that increase about a year after moving to people’s capacity to deal the area. It wasn’t long until with environmental and they realized that there were social issues. In 2008, we gains to be made by organizstarted a small number of ing producers in their area. projects that we planned to They formed an association use as a foundation for our and a milk cooperative. By work in Brazil. We had a collecting producers’ milk in couple set backs, leading to one location and processing the loss of a few nurseries, the milk on site, they have but in the end, people who increased quality, decreased had extra seedlings in their costs, and improved people’s nurseries shared with those incomes. Live fence of moringa. The trees will provide people who had lost It was this type of forward fodder and shade for the cows seedlings due to pests and thinking that led the group to variable weather. Jeff was contact Fernanda Peixoto, amazed when two bee association members helped to pull our Brazil Field Representative. There was a general conseedlings from a nursery even though the seedlings were cern about erosion and raising cattle on degraded land, so going to another group of farmers. There was no direct after hearing about the benefits of planting trees such as benefit to these men, and yet they spent two hours helping leucaena, they quickly organized meetings and workshops to make sure that other farmers in the area could benefit with Fernanda. Azerildo and Luiza had a very successful from tree planting. Nothing could have made Jeff happi- nursery of leucaena and moringa. While Jeff was in Brazil er. he helped them transplant these seedlings. The moringa Page 9 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XVII, No. 1
continued on page10
A Fence that Feeds Cattle! (continued from page 9) will provide shade and food for their cattle while the leucaena will be planted alongside sugar cane. When the time comes to harvest the sugar cane for their cutand-carry system, they will also cut the leucaena, thus providing protein and nutrients for their cattle. When Jeff asked Azerildo and Luiza what we can do to improve the program for 2009, they initially said, “Nothing.” Then Luiza added, “The seeds provide fences that feed our cattle. And it’s free. What’s better than that? The government doesn’t even come out to our farm to see what we need, and when they try to help, they give us stuff that doesn’t work, or they give us seedlings, but no training.” Jeff smiled, and thought to himself, “Wow! We didn’t even have to pay her to say that.” On his way back from Brazil, Jeff read the book, The Tipping Point. The book outlines the way that small ideas become social epidemics. If there is any doubt that small actions can lead to big change, one only needs to read this book to understand the power of a few people making positive change in the world. It is with people like Azerildo, Luiza, Fernanda, and all of the farmers we work with in Brazil, that we will improve people’s lives and the environment. Thanks to its large tap root, Moringa can withstand This year is going to be exciting and challenging. We harsh conditions and drought plan to distribute ten times as many seeds and to have a presence beyond the borders of Oriente and Marilía. We will also purchase all of our seeds from within Brazil and will start working with nine native species. As we learn, we will adapt our approach, but as long as we have your support, share information and resources, treat people with respect, and build friendships, we will continue to have success.
Trees, Climate Change and Global Warming (continued from page 8) Myanmar (Burma) last year, demonstrate there is already far too much carbon pollution in the atmosphere. The situation will continue to worsen unless we address this. How is it possible to remove atmospheric CO2? As a practical matter, the only way to remove carbon from the atmosphere within an acceptable time frame is to restore vegetation – trees and crops – to the barren lands. In developing countries of the humid tropics trees grow quickly and therefore absorb about three times as much CO2 per year as in more temperate lands. Has such a program proven possible? YES! This has been the program of TREES FOR THE FUTURE for more than 30 years! Working at the grassroots level, with the people of these devastated lands, we have helped them plant over 75 million permanent, beneficial, trees. Each year, these trees remove more than two million tons of carbon dioxide from the global atmosphere, converting it into food, shelter, organic fertilizer and other products the people of these lands desperately need. Page 10 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XVII, No. 1
Introducing Paulino Damiano Paulino Damiano, a native of Chuka, Kenya, has recently been hired as the Kenya Program Coordinator for Trees for the Future. He will be assisting David Tye, The East Africa Regional Program Coordinator, to implement tree-planting projects and agroforestry training programs throughout Kenya. Paulino studied Mechanical Engineering at Muranga College and completed his diploma in 1999. Following completion of his diploma, he began working for various international and national companies in the field of mechanical engineering. In the year 2005, he enrolled with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, Programme of Correspondence Instruction in Peace Keeping Missions (UNITARPOCI). He is currently studying International Environmental Law through the United Nations Institute and will complete his studies in April of this year. He became interested in environmental management and forestry early in his life after witnessing extensive deforestation of Mount Kenya Forest through firewood collec-
tion, burning of charcoal, and timber harvesting. In 2007, Paulino earned a certificate as an Agroforestry Technician through Trees for the Future. In 2005, Paulino established a small group of local youths to help in reforestation of Mount Kenya forest. This group focuses on agroforestry training, youth empowerment and environmental conservation awareness throughout the area. The organization has been very successful and has worked closely with local communities and the Kenyan Forest Service to promote tree planting projects on the slopes of Mount Kenya. Under the direction of Paulino, the Save Mount Kenya Forest Group has planted over 40,000 tree seedlings in the Mount Kenya Forest and distributed seedlings to the surrounding communities to plant in their farms. Based on his previous work experience, intellect and drive, Paulino will be very effective in implementing treeplanting projects throughout Kenya as the Kenya Program Coordinator. We are very pleased to welcome Paulino on board.
Paulino at the Gitogoto village river Page 11 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XVII, No. 1
Support Trees for the Future in the JustMeans.com and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Changing Climate Change Contest Justmeans.com, a unique website that facilitates conversation between companies and the general public about socially and environmentally responsible business practices, and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters have partnered to create the Changing Climate Change Contest, an amazing opportunity for non-profits whose work addresses problems created by climate change. The contest is made up of two components: a synopsis to be posted on the Justmeans Changing Climate Change page (http://www.justmeans.com/challenge/climate/challenge/climate) and a full grant proposal to be presented to Green Mountain Coffee. There will be four winners, one
for each of the four categories of the contest. The prize for each winner will be 200,000 dollars spread over five years! Trees for the Future has entered the contest under the category of “threats to coffee growing communities.� We believe our work planting multi-purpose trees with coffee farmers in Honduras and Ethiopia provides protection against many of the effects of a changing climate. In addition to increasing coffee yields, the species we use can protect against erosion, provide a path for rainwater to reach underground aquifers, increase biodiversity, decrease insect and disease problems, and increase food security.
Join Us for an Art for TREES Benefit Auction For years artist have used their talents to draw attention to important social causes around the world. Be it to highlight important issues or to try to inspire others into action, art is a powerful means with which to change the world. And now you too can affect change through art. Please join Trees for the Future at the River Road Unitarian Universalist Church's Fellowship Hall on Saturday, May 30th, 2009 for our first ever TFTF Art Show and Auction. From 2pm to 6pm you can browse beautiful pieces of work donated by artists from the Jackson Center of Art in Washington, DC, listen to a speech from Dave Deppner about our Greener Africa programs and enjoy a variety of delicious African cuisines. To make this event possible, Trees for the Future has partnered with the Church of the Redeemer and the River Road Unitarian Universalist Church in Bethesda, Maryland. The show will feature a series of artworks, available for purchase, including water-
colors and prints. The display will predominately feature botanical pieces of both local and tropical plant species. We will also feature work which focuses on the environment and the current environmental global crises which we as a world-community face. Each purchase will include a full membership to Trees for the Future. Our hope is to draw attention to Trees for the Future's mission, as well as to global warming. All proceeds will go to Trees for the Future's Greener Africa programs, including Senegal, Ghana, Cameroon, Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Event Details: When: Saturday, May 30th, 2009 2pm-8pm Where: River Road Unitarian Universalist Church 6301 River Road Bethesda, MD 20817
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Thoughts on the Environment, From Haiti While Haiti is recognized to be remarkably degraded, Trees for the Future's efforts in the country are bringing hope to many Haitian communities. Prophete Jovin, a farmer from the region of Leogane, explains: "What I have witnessed over the decade of the 90's is that my plots and the ones of my friends were unproductive, the rainy season was very irregular while water sources were considerably scarce, erosion and inundations destroyed farms and all that I possess to take care of my family. These phenomena have started changing. Now, the green vegetation we lost is coming back, the harvest season is not bad this time, I think the tree -planting campaign we had with Trees for the Future early in the decade of 2000's is good for us and for our place. " Trees for the Future has been helping the community of Leogane for more than five years. People - and especially farmers - in this zone are now planting trees with their crops. Thanks to TREES supporters and friends, we are able to assist Haitian communities with their reforestation and agroforestry programs. This is the case in Arcahaie, which has dreadfully degraded highlands. Many communities are located at the base of its mountains, called “chaine des mattheux,� among them the community of Williamson, which recently benefitted from a tree nursery. While meeting a TREES technician, one farmer Elise Supreme stood up. She expressed in the name of the community their miseries and the hope they feel because Trees for the Future intends to work with them.
Planting trees to restore and protect a degraded hillside in Haiti Elise said: "Here, the environment is denuded and so are our lives, some of us were thinking about out-migrating but this is not what we really want. I remember when there were trees, things were not too bad, that would be life for us. If this place can be restored with trees and our farms can become productive, with the green vegetation back, water can be stored in our land instead of coming in floods to kill us." At the end, all who spoke touched on one main desire; a self-reliant existence in a safe environment. They wish for it and they are actively contributing to that goal.
A view of chaine des Mattheux in Arcahaie, Haiti and the community discussing land use issues Page 13 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XVII, No. 1
Trees for the Future, Inc. Preliminary Annual Report – 2008 The year began with recognition that there was a great deal of business left over from 2007. This, fortunately, included a surplus of approximately $164,000.00. Programs: We decided to use this opportunity to develop new programs in areas we had been unable to serve in the past. Because the great majority of our programs have taken place in the northern hemisphere, it was decided to expand in the southern hemisphere to bring about a more even annual use of personnel and funding. The countries where we started new projects are: Brazil, Indonesia, Bolivia, Ghana, and Tanzania. Personnel: There was also a need for more trained personnel; technicians and support people working from the Maryland office as well as new staff assigned to permanent field positions. Over the year we brought on seven Program Coordinators, including Ethan Budiansky, West Africa; Gabe Buttram, Southern Africa; Francis Deppner, Southeast Asia; Jeff Follett, South America; and Tebabu Assefa, Training & Media. Two additional coordinators, Josh Bogart in Central America and David Tye in East Africa, were assigned to permanent field offices. Three local technicians who serve as Country Representatives deserve special recognition for the programs they have developed: Timote Georges in Haiti, Louis N’Kembi in Cameroon, and Dr. Shimeles Yigezu in Ethiopia. We also increased our support staff with Heather Muszyinski as Grants Coordinator and Jeffrey and Maryann Manual sharing duties as office manager. By year’s end, we had trained and assigned a total of 21 field technicians in 12 countries to build the program. New regional programs were started in South America, East Africa and the Caribbean. Over the year, we have established offices/training centers in five countries and share offices with partnering organizations in three more. Technology: Providing seed of the highest quality and an ever-increasing number of species has been a high priority. We developed two seed orchards in the Philippines and good local sources in Ethiopia, Tanzania, India, and Haiti. The present need is for about 1,500 kg of seed annually and we anticipate this will quickly double. As the program grows it will be necessary to make seed available to other organizations worldwide. The Agroforestry Training Manual is now available in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese and Telugu, with Tamil and Creole coming in 2009. We have been distributing the manual to Peace
Corps Volunteers worldwide and to technicians of our partner organizations. The book about Forest Gardens is now available and we are developing pamphlets concerning bee-keeping, descriptions of “MPFG” tree species, and environmentally sustainable management of livestock. Partners: TREES plans to have programs in 20 countries in 2009. We have started informal partnerships with over 100 local organizations and it is only through these partnerships that this program can continue to expand at an average rate of more than 30% annually. We support these local groups with on-site planning assistance, technical training, seeds, planting materials and financial support to develop their own local extension teams. TREES therefore, on any given day, now has more than 100 trained and dedicated people in the field, working with nearly 7,500 families in about 1,500 villages worldwide. Financial: A Preliminary Financial Statement is presented on the following page. The final, independently audited, report will be available upon request by June 20, 2009.
Dry season gardening in Senegal with newly planted mango, cashew and leucaena
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Preliminary Financial Report 2008 Income: Individual Donations Corporate Gifts Foundation Grants Interest & Dividends Investment Gain/Loss
Office Expenses: $453,000 $573,000 $85,000 $20,100 ($71,900)
TOTAL INCOME
$1,059,200
Supplies & Equipment Purchases Licenses & Permits Website, Phone, Internet Bank Charges, Credit Postage, Dues, Subscriptions, Gifts Accounting Equipment Depreciation
$27,600 $3,400 $6,100 $1,700 $6,300 $2,500 $1,300
SUBTOTAL
$48,900
Expenses: Salaries, Consulting, Taxes, Benefits: Salaries Consulting Fees SSS/ Taxes, SUTA Health/Other Benefits
$251,000 $180,400 $19,900 $21,000
Fundraising: Printing/Mailing Travel, Meals/Lodging SUBTOTAL
$21,100 $25,100 $46,200
SUBTOTAL
$472,300
TOTAL EXPENSES
$1,098,800
Summary: Income, All Sources:
$1,131,100
Expenses: Balance: Loss, Investment Account
$1,098,800 $32,500 ($71,900)
International Tree Planting Program: On-Site Expenses Project Materials International Travel & Related Website/Phone/Internet
$322,000 $50,300 $45,200 $7,700
SUBTOTAL
$425,200
Actual Loss 2008 ($39,600) Net Loss for 2008 (incl. depreciation) ($45,400)
Public Information Program: Printing, Publishing, Mailing Travel & Exhibits Website, Phone/Internet Meetings, Equipment Rental
$37,500 $30,200 $8,300 $3,300
Program-related costs: 80.85% Administrative Costs: 14.95% Fundraising Costs 4.20%
SUBTOTAL
$79,300
Occupancy Expenses: Mortgage Payments Utilities Property Taxes/Insurance Maintenance
$13,100 $4,100 $7,900 $1,800
SUBTOTAL
$26,900
Program-related costs: 80.85%
Fundraising Costs 4.20%
Administrative Costs: 14.95%
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Loret Miller Ruppe Center P.O. Box 7027 Silver Spring, Maryland 20907
Address change ? Duplicate Mailing? Change as shown Remove from List Mail Changes or Call 800-643-0001
Upcoming Events
Inside p.1: Senegal in 2009 p.2: Opinion: Who Will Plant the Trees? p.2: Businesses and Individuals Building a New Sustainable Economy p.4: Kahiija Village Tree Nursery Training Workshop p.6: Update from Northern India p.7: Healthier Schools in Honduras p.8: Trees, Climate Change, &Global Warming p.9: A Fence that Feeds Cattle p.11: Introducing Paulino Damiano p.12: Vote for TREES in Climate Change Contest p.12: Botanical Art Auction for TREES p.13: Thoughts on the Environment, from Haiti p.13: Annual Report, 2008
Plant Trees for Earth Day! Give a tree-planting gift certificate to your friends and loved ones
Please join us at the Art for TREES benefit auction Saturday, May 30th, 2009 2pm-8pm River Road Unitarian Universalist Church 6301 River Road Bethesda, MD 20817 E-Newsletter Every month, Trees for the Future sends out an enewsletter. Sign-up by going to “Join our Mailing List� on www.plant-trees.org and entering your email address. Trees for the Future is part of the Aid for Africa Federation. Our Combined Federal Campaign Number is 10715
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