When Mukoha Rose joined a Trees for the Future (TREES) project last year, she did not expect her family’s life to change so soon. Rose, 35 years old, is part of Mahono Mahalabani Farmer Group – which means your hands are workers. The group is made up of farmers from Lunyo sub county, Busia district of Uganda.
Rose saw the potential in her land before she joined TREES. She says she saw the project as a good way to test the possibilities for her farm. She joined the project hoping to gain knowledge on how best to improve crop production to increase food and income security for her family of six.
The Forest Garden Approach
A Forest Garden can improve a family’s livelihood within just months of implementing the technique on their land. TREES staff first taught Rose and her fellow farmers how to protect their land so that they could revitalize their soil. As the land comes back to life, farmers in the program are able to grow thousands of trees and dozens of crop species to eat and sell. In addition to agroforestry tree seeds and seedlings, Rose’s group was supplied with collard green, tomato, and onion seeds early in the project.
Collard Greens = An Education
Rose does most of the farming in the Forest Garden and her husband takes the produce to the market to sell. A typical day involves Rose working in the Forest Garden by herself. Her four children help when they’re home, but happily, they’ve been at school.
“Thank you for bringing this project, if it was not for it, I would not have taken my children back to school after these two years,” Rose says.
Three of her four children currently attend school. Rose used the income from her collard greens harvest to buy their uniforms and catch up on school fees.
Tomatoes = A New Home
After a successful tomato harvest, Rose and her husband are making plans to move out of their grass thatched hut.
“This project has given me the means to build a brick home for my family,” she adds.
On a cloudy February day in her Forest Garden, Rose finished her first batch of bricks.
Onions = Rose’s Next Investment
Her onions were almost ready, and she was already planning her next investment. She plans to use the money to buy a piglet which she can breed and produce another stream of income.
Rose is a shining example of the endless opportunity that grows out of each Forest Garden. Increased nutrition, education, better housing, and entrepreneurship are just a few.
Supporters = Lasting Impact
Help Rose and other Forest Garden farmers receive the training and resources they need to thrive. Donate to TREES today.