In Tanzania, on highlands impoverished by overgrazing and drought, we plant fruit trees and native species together with the women of Maasai communities. The roots hold the soil that erosion carries away and give pasture and water back to the savannah; the fruit feeds families and opens an income at local markets, holding care of the land and food security together.
In the rural communities of Arusha, farming is the main source of livelihood, and it is women who take charge of water and food. Yet Maasai women start from a low social standing, without the means to cultivate their own land. The trees we hand over stay theirs: they build food autonomy and income. The fruit ones, given already grafted, bear within three years, and many women launch micro-enterprises selling the harvest at market. Giving them tools and knowledge is the most direct way to build a fairer society.
In Tanzania the soil is wearing out: it loses the carbon-based organic matter that keeps it alive, and desertification advances, devouring forests and fields. Our answer is balanced agroforestry systems built only from native species: already suited to the climate and soil, they hold up better against disease and drought. These trees anchor the soil, improve water capture and set natural regeneration in motion. They absorb CO2, improve water quality and create microclimates where other plants can grow back.
The CO₂ estimate is per project, not per single tree. Method and technical values are in the project page, Transparency tab.