Carolina Majengo is a force of nature. The 33-year-old single mother of two is redefining what it means to be a farmer. Over the last four years, Carolina has established a thriving Forest Garden with 2,735 trees and dozens of plant species – all working in harmony to support her land and her family. She has two dozen different marketable products growing on her farm, creating a steady stream of income year-round.
Before joining Trees for the Future’s Forest Garden Training Program in 2020, Carolina had met challenge after challenge. When she was pregnant with her second child, her husband left home to seek work. She never saw him again.
“When my husband left us, we struggled to find food,” she says. “I was forced to work as a casual laborer.”
Making Ends Meet
Carolina did her best to make ends meet with the work she could find. But with two small children and extended family members to support, she needed something that could sustain them, long-term.
TREES launched the Singida 5 project in Singida, Tanzania in 2020. 568 farmers signed up to receive training, resources, and seeds. TREES expert agroforestry staff worked with them in groups of 25-30, teaching them about the sustainable farming technique called the Forest Garden Approach. Carolina’s farmer group is called Sema, it’s a friendly Swahili greeting. Of the 30 farmers in Sema, 19 are women.
Establishing Forest Gardens
Carolina and her fellow farmers quickly began learning how to design and plan their Forest Gardens. They learned about the importance of protecting their plot with native, fast-growing, nutrient-rich trees. They discussed what crops would be ideal to grow for food and which would be beneficial to sell. Over the next four years, Carolina and her neighbors transformed half hectare plots of their own land, creating vibrant, lush gardens capable of supporting their families month after month.
“The Forest Garden saved my dignity. I can provide for my family’s needs better than before.”
A New Outlook
Today, she grows various crops such as bananas, sorghum, avocado, oranges, pigeon peas, maize, millet, beetroot, vegetables, and sugarcane, providing food security for her family.
“I no longer worry about food. Everything I need is found on this farm.”
Carolina and the rest of the Singida 5 project participants graduated from the program in a ceremony earlier this year. The event celebrated the accomplishments of each Forest Garden farmer and their ability to carry on with these sustainable farming techniques for years to come. For Carolina, the celebration marked how far she’d come and the hope she has for her family’s future.
“Thanks to TREES, my tears were wiped away.”
