May 2024 Tabora Forest Gardens Project Update: Maria Builds A Family Home

May 2024 Tabora Forest Gardens Project Update: Maria Builds A Family Home

Read the May 2024 update from the Tabora Forest Gardens project and discover how GiftTrees agroforestry support helped Maria build a family home and improve livelihoods.

May 2024 Tabora Forest Gardens Project Update

The Forest Garden project, launched in December 2020 with GiftTrees partners Friends of Usambara, continues to make a remarkable difference for local families in Nkundei village.


On our visit on 17th May 2024, Farm Lead Technician Salum Abdalah reported impressive progress in tree planting and agroforestry practices supported by GiftTrees.

Project Highlights

    • Total Trees Planted: 600

    • Survival Rate: 90% (540 trees thriving)

    • Species Planted:

      • Carica papaya (Papaya)

      • Citrus limon (Lemon)

      • Citrus sinensis (Orange)

      • Persea americana (Avocado)

      • Zea mays (Maize)

      • Phaseolus vulgaris (Beans)

    • Families Involved: 250

    These trees and crops provide a vital mix of food security, sustainable income, and environmental benefits for participating households.

    A Farmer’s Story Maria From Nkundei

    Maria, a widow raising two children, faced severe challenges after losing her husband in a motorcycle accident four years ago. Struggling with debt, low crop yields, and caring for her sick grandmother, she found life far from easy.


    Her fortunes began to change when she joined the Forest Garden project.

    How GiftTrees Supported Maria

    GiftTrees helped Maria:

    • Learn composting using farm waste to produce organic fertiliser

    • Reduce reliance on expensive industrial fertilisers, saving around $150 per month

    • Improve crop yields, harvesting about a ton of maize every three months

    With the savings and increased productivity, Maria has begun building her own family home. Beyond financial relief, GiftTrees’ support has equipped her with the tools and knowledge to build a sustainable, thriving future for her family.

    Impact Beyond One Farm

    Maria’s story is just one example of how GiftTrees’ forest gardens empower communities to:

    • Increase food security and nutrition

    • Generate sustainable income

    • Restore degraded land and improve soil fertility

    • Promote environmentally friendly farming practices


    By combining tree planting, permaculture techniques, and community training, the Forest Garden 01 project demonstrates the power of small-scale agroforestry to transform both landscapes and lives. 


    As trees mature and farms flourish, more families in Nkundei and surrounding villages will benefit from the project’s long-term social, economic, and environmental impact. GiftTrees continues to grow food, forests, and hope, one tree and one family at a time.


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