On their land in eastern Uganda, Adito and his wife Mary are raising seven children – four of their own and three orphans they’ve taken in. Providing daily meals, paying school fees, and keeping the household running is no easy task.
But with the Forest Garden Approach, Adito and Mary are transforming their farm into a source of food, income, and opportunity. What once produced just a few crops now overflows with fruits, vegetables, and trees – more than 20 different crops that feed the entire family.
A Family Farm That Nourishes Nine
Together, Adito and Mary joined the Trees for the Future program in 2022. Before, their land produced at most three crops, leaving the land degraded, the family with little variety in their diet, and little money to bring in.
Now, their Forest Garden is thriving with fruits, vegetables, and trees that keep their children and land healthy and strong.
“I have come to realize that all along I have been wasting my land until the Forest Garden program arrived.
Adito
With this abundance, the couple’s children enjoy meals that fuel their growth and education. Food security is no longer out of reach, it’s an everyday reality.
Turning Harvests Into Opportunity
The benefits of the Forest Garden go far beyond nutrition. By selling vegetables, fruit trees, and timber, Adito and Mary have earned income that was once unimaginable for their family, and goes a long way in Eastern Uganda. They’ve turned their farm into both a food source and a business.
With their increased income, they have been able to:
- Pay school fees so their children can stay in school.
- Purchase two piglets and eight chickens to create new streams of income.
- Support their large household with dignity and independence.
Planting Passion for the Future
Today, the couple is cultivating a quarter-acre of passion fruit, a crop expected to bring in dependable income each week. That steady income will allow them to expand their Forest Garden across the rest of their land – ensuring long-term security for their children and grandchildren.
This is more than farming for their family. It’s a vision for the future: a family farm that feeds, sustains, and grows year after year.
Local Roots, Global Impact
Adito and Mary’s story is about more than one family in Uganda, it’s a glimpse into how regenerative agriculture can transform communities and fight the global climate crisis.
Through the Forest Garden Approach, farmers are:
- Restoring degraded soils and planting thousands of trees.
- Growing food that keeps families healthy.
- Building income that funds education and opportunity.
- Capturing carbon and protecting biodiversity to fight climate change.
As governments and businesses discuss solutions on the world stage, families like Adito and Mary’s are already proving that land restoration and regenerative farming are powerful climate solutions.
Your support makes this transformation possible.
When you give to Trees for the Future, you’re not just planting trees, you’re supporting Adito and Mary to:
- Feed their children nutritious meals so they can grow up healthy and strong.
- Break the cycle of poverty for the next generation through sustainable income.
- Restore the environment and contribute to global climate action for long term change.
Adito and Mary’s Forest Garden shows us that lasting change begins at the roots – with families who are ready to grow a better future for themselves, their communities, and our planet.