Women for Forests: Celebrating International Women's Day

The primary goal of this project is to provide trees to three communities of smallholder coffee farmers in Rwanda that include many women. The project will provide an increase in harvest and income, empowering over 200 coffee farmers to invest in their futures and create thriving communities. And through a 15-month Fellowship Program led by Kula Project, farmers are also trained by expert agronomists in Tree Canopy Management, Coffee Tree and Variety Characteristics, Soil Productivity, Harvesting, Erosion Control, Weeding and Waste Management, Composting and Amendment, and Shade Trees. 

The Malawi tree planting project will plant 100% indigenous trees in cooperation with Wells for Zoë and local community members, as well as installing well water pumps and planting fruit trees for nutritional and social impact. One of the main goals is to decrease pressure on mature indigenous forests and provide firewood for local communities to end the cycle of women carrying firewood for many miles. Additional objectives are to improve the microclimate and reduce soil erosion, enhance biodiversity, and invite milder temperatures.

The Tanzania project is created by and for farmers to show how small-scale agroforestry on individually owned pieces of land is an invaluable tool in addressing climate change. The project mandates gender parity at all levels of leadership. This is implemented by adherence to rotational leadership, where a new leader takes over every 4 months, with gender alternation. Through participation in The International Small Group and Tree Planting (TIST) program, farmers are also able to access education on beekeeping and FAO Conservation Farming principles. This leads to increased crop yields, organic compost fertilizer, and climate resiliency.