Trees Planted with Forest Focus Tackle Poverty and Restore Nature

Trees Planted with Forest Focus Tackle Poverty and Restore Nature

Happy International Day of Forests.

This year’s theme, Forests and Food, underscores a simple truth: the future of food begins in the forests. As forests disappear, so do the systems that sustain life. Biodiversity is lost, soils are degraded, and food security is increasingly fragile for communities worldwide.

At GiftTrees, we are responding with a solution rooted in the land itself. Through agroforestry, we plant trees that restore ecosystems while also producing food, generating income, and strengthening livelihoods. By integrating trees into farmland, we help build resilient food systems and support families to break the cycle of poverty. The future of food begins in the forests. Let’s protect it together.

International Day Of Forests And Why This Work Matters

For International Day of Forests, we were delighted to host our primary planting partner for 2025, Forest Focus, to share how tree planting works on the ground and why it matters so deeply for communities in rural Tanzania.

This day is not only about celebrating forests, but about recognising their essential role in food systems, livelihoods, and environmental stability.

Who Forest Focus Are And Why They Exist

Forest Focus is a Tanzanian NGO founded five years ago with a clear and powerful mission: to address extreme rural poverty and environmental degradation simultaneously.

As Executive Director Khalifa Muganga explains, deforestation in Tanzania is closely linked to poverty. When families are forced to rely on charcoal production, illegal logging, or farming too close to rivers to survive, forests are destroyed, and vital water sources are damaged. This creates a cycle in which environmental loss deepens poverty, and poverty accelerates further environmental degradation.

Forest Focus was created by local young people who witnessed this destruction first-hand and chose to act.

The Plant To Stop Poverty Project

The response developed by Forest Focus is the Plant to Stop Poverty project, an ambitious long-term initiative with a goal to plant one billion trees by 2085.

The project is carefully designed to balance environmental restoration with human need:

Seventy-five per cent of trees are native species, planted along riverbanks, water sources, and degraded forest areas to restore ecosystems and protect biodiversity.
Twenty-five per cent are agroforestry trees, planted on farms to provide food, generate income, and create long-term livelihoods for families.

This approach ensures that tree planting restores nature while also supporting daily survival and economic resilience.

Creating Jobs And Restoring Dignity

Today, Forest Focus employs 16 full-time staff and between 150 and 200 community members, with the number rising to over 400 during planting seasons.

This work demonstrates that restoring forests can also regain dignity. By creating employment, strengthening food security, and protecting natural resources, communities are given the tools to build more stable and hopeful futures. The partnership between GiftTrees and Forest Focus shows what is possible when environmental action and social impact are designed together.

Trees planted through this work are restoring degraded landscapes, strengthening food systems, and tackling poverty at its roots. On this International Day of Forests, the message is clear: protecting forests is essential to protecting food, livelihoods, and the future of communities worldwide.

Impact

GiftTrees Partners with Naturehub Collective for 2026: Empowering Women to Restore Kenya’s Mangroves

Article

5 MIN READ

Why Your GiftTrees Contributions Matter To Families Like Paulina’s

Article

5 MIN READ

Why Community Education Is Key to Sustainable Tree Planting

Article

5 MIN READ

Faraji’s Forest Garden Sustainable Farming and Beekeeping In Usambara

Article

5 MIN READ

Article

5 MIN READ

How Bottle Drip Irrigation Helps Young Trees Survive Dry Seasons

Article

5 MIN READ

Celebrating 5 Million GiftTrees and Growing Global Impact

Article

5 MIN READ

GiftTrees 2025 Impact Report Tree Planting People And Planet

Article

5 MIN READ

How GiftTrees Works – From a Tree Funded to Communities Thriving

Article

5 MIN READ

The Haunting Reality Facing Young Trees And How GiftTrees Help Them Thrive

Article

5 MIN READ

Kwamasimba: Integrating Trees into Everyday Farming

Article

5 MIN READ

5% Education Fund Supports Modesta on Her Way to College

Article

5 MIN READ

From Fruit To Futures How GiftTrees Is Changing Lives In Chang’ombe

Article

5 MIN READ

Bungu: Growing Resilience Through Agroforestry in Korogwe

Article

5 MIN READ

Planting For Change Our Vision For People And Planet

Article

5 MIN READ

Restoring Eroding Coastlines And Sea Life With GiftTrees

Article

5 MIN READ

Why Purpose-Driven Businesses Retain Their Staff

Article

5 MIN READ

Facing The Reality Of Extreme Poverty And How GiftTrees Create Change

Article

5 MIN READ

Mpale: Reducing Pressure on Forests, One Tree at a Time

Article

5 MIN READ

Tewe Mpya: Building Climate-Resilient Livelihoods

Article

5 MIN READ

Celebrating Earth Day And Planting Hope With Over 4 Million GiftTrees

Article

5 MIN READ

Article

5 MIN READ

From Seed to Soil: How Trees Are Planted for Long-Term Survival

Article

5 MIN READ

Mashindei: Turning Degraded Land into Opportunity

Article

5 MIN READ

Vingo Korogwe: Replacing Sand Mining with Sustainable Livelihoods

Article

5 MIN READ

The Mothers Changing The World One Tree At A Time

Article

5 MIN READ

Trees Planted with Forest Focus Tackle Poverty and Restore Nature

Article

5 MIN READ

Growing Resilience And Opportunity Through Agroforestry Training

Article

5 MIN READ

From Bees To Trees A Holiday Story Of Resilience And Giving

Article

5 MIN READ

Planting A Better Future Through Agroforestry And Community Support

Article

5 MIN READ

Article

5 MIN READ

Turning Fear Into Hope Through Sustainable Farming With GiftTrees

Article

5 MIN READ

The Cuvette System Transforming Avocado Farming and Food Security

Article

5 MIN READ

Timing Matters: How GiftTrees Achieve a 90% Survival Rate With Your Support

Article

5 MIN READ

How GiftTrees Training Helps Farmers Protect Crops and Increase Income

Article

5 MIN READ

How GiftTrees Permagardens Help Farmers Grow Food Year Round

Article

5 MIN READ

How GiftTrees Supports Farming Families Through Agroforestry and Livestock Fodder

Article

5 MIN READ

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

Article

5 MIN READ

How GiftTrees Training Helps Farmers Grow Fruit Faster Through Grafting

Article

5 MIN READ

June 2023: Tabora Forest Gardens Project Update: 95% Early Survival Rate

Article

5 MIN READ

Millennials have spoken and they want to work in companies that have values. That includes the hospitality industry.

Article

5 MIN READ

Increase Profitability by Becoming a Purpose-Driven Business

Article

5 MIN READ

Article

5 MIN READ

GiftTrees is FREE

GiftTrees simply adds a small amount to your diner's bill. This low addition guarantees the planting of a life-changing GiftTree in a developing country.

Your diners can choose to remove this from their bill should they wish and as a restaurant there is zero-cost for becoming a certified GiftTrees Restaurant.

Book Meeting