About Us

Who are we?

Trees for the Future is dedicated to ending extreme hunger and poverty across Sub-Saharan Africa by revitalizing degraded lands using the Forest Garden Approach. The Forest Garden Approach, developed by Trees for the Future, diversifies farming systems with trees and food crops that meet subsistence needs and market opportunities. While conventional agriculture programs focus on one or few crops, the Forest Garden Approach is rooted in diversifying each farm with many food crops and thousands of trees so farming families will be self-sufficient in their production of food, timber and non-timber forest products.

What is our vision?

By guiding massive numbers of subsistence farmers through the phases of protecting, diversifying and optimizing their farms, we can have a permanent impact on the lives of millions of smallholder farming families across the developing tropics struggling to survive on their degraded farms.

Where can I learn more?

Trees for the Future has published four documents that support the work of agronomists and extension agents as they introduce the Forest Garden methodology in communities:

The Forest Garden Facilitator’s Guide

The guide is designed to accompany farmers through the three phases of the Forest Garden Approach. In the first year, the focus is largely on growing and planting trees that protect the land. Farmers learn to design Green Walls and plant thousands of agroforestry trees around and across their field to serve many purposes. By the second year, farmers undergo training in vegetable and fruit tree production to diversify the sources of income and nutrition. By the third and fourth years, farmers learn to optimize their field by using techniques that maximize productivity on the land in a sustainable way.

Forest Garden Technical Manual

The Forest Garden Technical Manual provides the fundamental agroforestry information that agronomist and extension agents need to facilitate the four-year Forest Garden program. Each module in the Facilitator’s Guide refers to the relevant chapters within the Technical Manual, where learners can find the the technical answers behind many of the questions asked in the facilitation exercises.

The Farmer’s Workbook

Each module in this Facilitator’s Guide has a corresponding Farmer’s Workbook section for farmers to keep records, take home activities and illustrations that will help them recall what they learned and need to do when returning home after workshops.

The Training of Trainers Guide

This resource is used in conjunction with the Forest Garden Technical Manual, the Forest Garden Facilitator’s Guide, and the Forest Garden Farmer’s Workbook. Though this Training of Trainers Guide is designed for the Forest Garden Training Program, the methodology described in this guide can be used for any training program (nutrition, agricultural skills, health training, etc).