This year, CommuniTree recruited enough farmers to collectively reforest more than 5,000 hectares of land–close to half the size of Paris! This was a huge accomplishment for APRODEIN, Taking Root’s reforestation partner, who are passionately committed to expanding CommuniTree to becoming a nationwide program. It also makes it clear that farmers are increasingly interested in reforesting their land. With the staggering amount of interest this year, we decided to interview some of the farmers to hear their perspectives on what made them want to join the program. 

1. Inspired by their neighbours’ success

Juan Francisco Ordoñez Obando from Lanzana, San Lucas recently started restoring his farm of 0.71 hectares of land with a mixed species forest design. Seeing the experiences of his neighbours inspired him and his family to take reforestation into their own hands. Since 2014, Juan has watched barren surrounding areas on his neighbours’ farms be transformed into lush, growing forests, convincing him that it was time for him to start reforesting his own land.

“I hope that my farm sets a good example for other farmers to get involved in the program, like how others did for me. Then instead of deforesting, we can be motivated to reforest our land.”

-Juan Francisco Ordoñez Obando

Word of mouth is the primary driver of outreach for the CommuniTree Program. Time and time again, we hear stories about farmers joining the program after it was recommended to them by others in their community. Not only is this great for recruiting new farmers, but it is also a sign that farmers in the program are thrilled with what they are accomplishing.

2. Rigour of local team

APRODEIN builds extremely close relationships between their technician staff and farmers. They help identify areas of land that can be reforested, help farmers choose from different planting designs, support their planting activities, and help troubleshoot growing activities. This fosters a relationship of trust and support between the farmer and technician to ensure that they can be successful in restoring their land. As Juan was watching neighbouring farmers successfully grow trees, he also took note of rigorous support APRODEIN was steadily providing. This gave him confidence that APRODEIN would be there to help him along the way.

“What convinced me to join was the rigour of the program. They [APRODEIN] have been in the area since 2014 and have never left the farmers’ sides. They always follow up to help manage the farms.”

-Juan Francisco Ordoñez Obando

3. Diversify income streams

The Lopez family from Sonis, Somoto have been growing basic grains, corn, and beans for generations. In recent years, farming has not been easy. Costs of crops are increasing, making it challenging to sustain a livelihood.

Juan Bautista Pastrana Lopez and his family decided to plant a mixed species forest on 4.92 hectares of under-optimized land as a way of diversifying income. This will give Juan and his family payments for the carbon they sequester for the trees that they grow, as well as wood that can be sold on the market. They are also planning to create trails that tourists can travel to explore the natural wonders of Nicaragua as they have.

“The cost of these products [grains, corn, and beans] has proven to be too high for farmers and rendered the farming process to be difficult, stressful, and unsustainable.”

-Juan Bautista Pastrana Lopez

4. Improve the environment of underused areas

When selecting which parcels of land to reforest, farmers and technicians focus on land that is underused and under-optimized. Farmers frequently express a desire to restore these areas for the environmental benefits that the land will receive. Ever Josue Palma from San Pedro, San Lucas says that “his hope is to see the trees grow big and to have a nice forest in the future, improving the soil, providing shade, and regulating water”.

Beyond being a reason to join, improving the environment rapidly becomes the main reason that farmers stay in the program. After spending years in the program, farmers often speak of the environmental benefits that their farm receives before speaking to carbon payments. Last year, Taking Root interviewed Justina Valdivia, a farmer who has been in the CommuniTree Program for over 10 years, who spoke to this.

“Now that I have my forest planted, it is much cooler. My animals have shelter from the sun, and there are many different species of birds in the forest. I see rabbits, squirrels, and you can see birds make their nests in trees. Most importantly, they [trees] provide oxygen for my family and for my entire community, because we know that trees provide oxygen for life.”

-Justina Valdivia

5. Provide a legacy for children & grandchildren

A final reason why farmers choose to join CommuniTree is to leave a legacy to their children and grandchildren. This might be cash from carbon payments, or the forest itself as a legacy. Growing trees is often a family affair, with farmers’ entire families taking part in the planting and growing activities. Leaving a legacy for his family was one of the reasons why Juan Ordoñez joined, to get something out the farm for the long term for his children and his grandchildren.

The Road Ahead

Hearing farmers be so captivated by what the program has to offer validates CommuniTree’s success. Its focus on ensuring farmers can obtain value from the forests that they grow–financial, environmental, or other– is what ensures that the trees will be grown. Juan Lopez, Ever Palma, and Juan Ordoñez are all filled with hope and determination to restore their land.

As CommuniTree prepares for its biggest year yet, farmers, APRODEIN, and Taking Root are all working hard to ensure its success. It is hard to believe that only a few years ago, 5,000 hectares was the cumulative size of the program. The fact that it is now recruited in a single year is astonishingly impressive. We can’t wait to see the results from this year’s planting season and look forward to seeing these newly joined farmers’ forests grow.