Planting Seeds for the Future

Volunteers from the community along with Andando staff after a very successful seed planting session.

Together with the help from members of the community, we have nearly realized our reforestation goal. Last year we started an ambitious goal of 50,000 trees that will be used as live fencing, shade trees, and for food production. Over 40,000 trees have been planted so far!

Over 40,000 trees have been started as part of our reforestation project.

Initially the seeds are planted in plastic sleeves that allow for proper watering and then they are grown under the cover of the greenhouse constructed on-site at our headquarters in Keur Soce.

Inside the greenhouse, Mandaw is holding one of the first trees we planted.

The greenhouse is covered with a special screen that protects the young plants from the scorching sun as well as from birds that would eat the seedlings before they could get established.

Trees inside the greenhouse are thriving (some are almost touching the ceiling) and are ready to be transplanted.

With the coming of the rainy season we have been able to start some trees directly in the ground, rather than having to start them as seeds, then later transplant them.

The Mayor of Keur Soce joined us for a ceremonial tree planting in honor of Senegal’s Arbor Day.

Recently, we celebrated Senegal’s Arbor Day with the blessing of the Mayor of Keur Soce and the Deputy Mayor who joined us in the ceremonial planting of two trees. In the environmental field trees symbolically are sources of vitality and sustainable development. The Mayor thanked Andando for our development actions within his community, especially the honor that he is granted through the planting of trees and watering them because “together these two elements are the source of life.”

The Mayor of Keur Soce along with his Deputy and the Andando staff ceremonially planting a tree in honor of Senegal’s Arbor Day.

We are grateful to have the support and collaboration with local authorities which enables our sustainable work. Your support allows our team in Senegal to continue to nurture these relationships and invest in the future of the communities we serve.

Forests for a Future

At a workshop led by Trees for the Future, our Lead Garden Technician, Mandaw, shares a sample garden plan incorporating trees. Trees serve as both a live fencing as well as produce food.

We have begun an ambitious and vital new Forest Garden project! Our initial goal is to reforest 50 acres in the Keur Soce region, with more in years to come. Trees not only provide a sustainable food source but also help with deforestation and soil erosion.

Last August, in a partnership with Trees for the Future, several of our Garden Technicians attended a tree planting and forest garden planning workshop. Our lead technicians expanded their knowledge and participated in practical, hands-on training to learn how to incorporate forest gardens into our existing vegetable gardens.

Recently we met with the local Department of Water & Forests and toured their tree nursery facility, gaining valuable insight into the specific needs in the region we work in most. By collaborating we gain buy-in from local leadership as well as the ability to pool our resources to maximize our impact.

This summer we constructed a tree nursery at our training facility in Keur Soce that will serve as the home base for the tree planting project. Our staff of Garden Technicians and Interns will propagate 50,000 seedlings that will be cared for at this nursery until they are strong enough to be replanted in community gardens, schools, and health posts.

Garden members learning how to transplant and care for young trees.

In the meantime, members of Andando’s garden cooperatives are participating in workshops where they are learning how to properly transplant and care for the seedlings once they are ready to be moved to their new homes. These women will serve as leaders and educators in their communities by demonstrating the benefits of Forest Gardens and their successful implementation.

This new project requires the addition of a Tree Technician to our staff in Senegal, who will serve as an invaluable resource for the individuals working with us and the communities benefiting from the Forest Gardens.