More than 3,000 farmers in Nicaragua have now joined the CommuniTree Carbon Program to grow trees alongside their existing agricultural practices. This is incredible to think of, but if we are to accelerate the restoration of the world’s forests, we need to do more. Together with our local reforestation partner, APRODEIN, we know there is scope to grow more trees, sequester more carbon, and improve more livelihoods. That means encouraging more farmers to participate in the program, without whom none of this would be possible.

With this goal in mind, APRODEIN has created a dedicated recruitment team with the remit of attracting new farmers to the project. They work year-round and operate across nine operational regions, reaching even the most rural of communities through various outreach strategies, including community presentations and public radio advertisements. Amongst their ranks are Crisanto Mendoza, Jorge Alesio Castro Sarria, and Marcel Montoya. We recently spoke to them to find out more about their role, the challenges they face, and the impact working for APRODEIN has had on their own lives.

Becoming a recruitment technician

Until recently, Marcel worked on his own poultry farm. In June 2022, he decided to join APRODEIN, and in October signed up to be one of the organization’s first recruitment technicians. When asked what motivated him to take the leap, he says: “CommuniTree is an environmental project of great impact and recognition at the national and international level, which aims to reduce environmental pollution. It is a great privilege to be part of it.”

Like all recruitment technicians, Marcel received training on what makes an ideal parcel of land for reforestation, the types of soil that benefit from reforestation, and CommuniTree’s different planting designs. He was shown how to use Taking Root’s technology platform, educated on the management and methodology of tree planting, and the requirements farmers must meet to join the program.

Equipped with this knowledge, he visits local communities and explains the project to farmers. Marcel says he does so “in a simple way so people can clearly understand the objective of the program.” He holds presentations on the benefits farmers will obtain from CommuniTree, what technical assistance they will receive from APRODEIN, and the activities that must be performed as part of the project. But above all, he “emphasizes the benefit to the environment, so that they can be a part of the change for present and future generations.”

He adds: “I tell farmers that by participating in the program, they will have better soil quality, water sources will be recovered, and biodiversity will be improved. In addition, joining CommuniTree will generate employment for their families, meaning they will not have to migrate to other countries to make a living.”

Helping farmers understand the benefits of growing trees

Helping farmers understand the benefits of growing trees is a key part of a recruitment technician’s role. Crisanto, who previously worked in rice cultivation, says it is also one of the biggest challenges. “Reforestation has not been part of their culture”, he says. Jorge, who was once a coffee farmer, agrees. “Reforestation is something new for them; it is a term many of them have never heard of before”, he explains.

Yet Marcel, Crisanto and Jorge all concur that once a farmer has grasped the vision of the project, the reactions are overwhelmingly positive. “Many of them say they have always wanted to reforest their farms but have been unable to do so because of a lack of resources”, says Marcel. Jorge adds: “Once we explain how the project works and provide some real-life examples of farmers participating in the program, they fall in love with the idea. We are committed to helping them fulfill their dreams of reforesting their farms.”

Crisanto, who joined APRODEIN in November 2022, says it is particularly useful for farmers to meet others who are already participating in the program. This, along with open-invitation presentations, helps farmers appreciate how growing trees can benefit both the environment and their family. “It’s a win-win situation for both parties”, he says.

Starting farmers on the road to reforestation

Once a farmer expresses an interest in joining CommuniTree, recruitment technicians take their information and arrange to visit their farm. Once there, they evaluate the parcel of land selected by the farmer to verify its suitability for reforestation. Trees require certain conditions to grow well, and having eligibility criteria for project interventions ensures farmers are set up for success.

Growing trees also takes work and commitment from the farmers themselves, including activities such as clearing, weeding, pruning, and thinning. APRODEIN’s recruitment technicians explain these responsibilities in detail so that a farmer knows what is required of them from the very start. They also outline the support and benefits the farmer will receive from the program over time. This includes training, equipment, support, and of course, payments for ecosystem services.

If the parcel meets the necessary criteria, and the farmer wishes to join the program, technicians map the parcel using Taking Root’s mobile app. Taking Root then performs quality checks to ensure it has been mapped correctly. When all the documentation has been completed, and the farmer is registered in the mobile app, they are officially part of the CommuniTree Carbon Program. In Jorge’s experience, this is always a happy moment. “They are delighted to start on the road to reforestation”, he says.

Working closely with farmers is something Marcel, Crisanto and Jorge all enjoy about their job. “What I like the most is the interaction with the farmers and knowing that they like the program because it is improving their farm and their family income”, says Jorge. Marcel echoes the same sentiment: “I enjoy helping farmers to improve their parcels, providing them with the necessary information and knowledge to do a better job. I love what I do.”

“It fills me with enthusiasm”

A passion for the environment is another common thread between the three men. Crisanto explains that’s the reason he wanted to join APRODEIN in the first place. “By working with APRODEIN, I have the possibility to contribute my grain of sand to mitigate climate change and help farmers”, he says. “What I like most about the project is the impact achieved by growing trees. It fills me with enthusiasm.”

This enthusiasm, along with the outreach strategies employed by the recruitment technicians, is clearly a potent combination. Between them, Marcel, Crisanto and Jorge have already recruited 62 new farmers to CommuniTree. That is 62 farmers, and their families, who now have the opportunity to improve their livelihoods by growing trees.

But it’s not just the farmers whose lives are changing. Marcel describes how working for APRODEIN has had a positive impact on his own life too. “It has allowed me to develop both professionally and personally; I have gained more knowledge to put at the service of others.” Both Crisanto and Jorge agree. “It is a new experience which has given me the desire to change the mentality of us farmers on the need to plant trees”, explains Jorge.

With the project expanding rapidly through the country, Marcel, Crisanto and Jorge’s work has only just begun. Armed with new recruitment resources and materials, they are experimenting with different outreach strategies such as referral incentives and in-country social media campaigns to connect to new farmers. Together, we look forward to recruiting more farmers and creating greater impacts through the CommuniTree Carbon Program.