Trees for the Future

What Trees for the Future does

Trees for the Future (TREES) helps smallholder farming families in East Africa restore degraded land by growing trees alongside their crops. Dave Deppner founded it in 1989 after seeing the link between deforestation and poverty while volunteering in the Philippines. The nonprofit is based in Silver Spring, Maryland, and currently works with farmers in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

In 2015 TREES streamlined its model around what it calls the Forest Garden Approach, which trains farmers to use trees and regenerative agriculture to grow enough nutrient-rich food to eat and sell. The organization reports an average of about 5,800 trees per regenerative farm, and says participating farmers see an average 400% increase in income and a 73% increase in food security in their first year. Over its history it reports planting more than 450 million trees, working with more than 63,700 program farmers (over 40% of them women) and restoring about 99,000 acres. Its goal is one billion trees by 2030.

TREES also tracks biodiversity on participating farms, reporting 430 wildlife species, 580 plant species and 230 fungal species documented. It holds a four-star rating from Charity Navigator.

Key facts

• More than 450 million trees planted since its founding (trees.org homepage)
• 63,700+ program farmers, more than 40% of them women, and 99,000 acres restored (trees.org homepage)
• Reports an average of 5,800 trees per regenerative farm and 9.8 tonnes of CO2e removed per farm each year (trees.org homepage)
• Currently works with farmers in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania (trees.org)