ITF community grants awarded to three organisations

International Tree Foundation (ITF) has announced the three chosen organisations that will each receive a grant through its Sustainable Community Forestry Programme, which has been financially supported by natural and organic food company Wessanen UK.

The programme, which announced a call for applications last September, received a record number of project submissions – over 250.

Spanning three different countries – Cameroon, Ghana and Madagascar – the three chosen projects aim to tackle a wide range of environmental issues including conservation of endemic tree species, reforestation of degraded natural forest, sustainable forest-friendly agriculture and improved livelihoods.

Each successful application will now receive an initial grant from the Oxford-based charity of up to £3,000.

The grant will enable CENDEP Cameroon, Ny Tanintsika Madagascar and CSRAD Ghana to each launch a community tree planting scheme that will bring a broad range of benefits to their local communities whilst enhancing forest conservation and restoration:

• CENDEP Cameroon – This project is dedicated to training 16 young people on ‘how to make a food forest’. CENDEP Cameroon is run by farmers trained in tree domestication and analog forestry – an ecological approach to agroforestry. They intend to plant 15,000 trees of 25 indigenous species as well as Avocados, Pawpaws and Guavas.
• Ny Tanintsika Madagascar – The organisation focuses on endemic trees for sustainable agroforestry. Working with 800 vulnerable households, the charity wants to add 20,000 indigenous trees to their farms. The 10 endemic tree species to be planted have been identified by the local communities for improved soil quality and long-term income generation. The project will help combat forest loss and land degradation in Madagascar.
• CSRAD Ghana – Committed to the Conservation of Montonnso Sacred Forest, CSRAD Ghana aims to safeguard generational socio-economic and socio-ecological benefits. The grant will enable the planting of 17,000 trees of five indigenous species, both within the forest and the surrounding cocoa farms.

Paul Laird, Programmes Manager at the International Tree Foundation, comments:

“We are incredibly pleased with the success of this grants round and the number of applications we received, which covered a broad spectrum of activities. We received many excellent projects from 22 countries, making the decision extremely difficult for the panel. But there is a very positive story behind this grants round: namely that there are many excellent community-led initiatives making a difference by planting trees and conserving their ecosystems.”

The programme has also allowed the organisation to shortlist a range of projects that may receive financial aid in the future.

Gill Green, Marketing Director at Wessanen UK, adds:

“It’s a privilege to play a role in supporting the ITF’s ongoing work and the organisation’s commitment to sustainability, which has been evident throughout the execution of this programme. The wide breath of applications received is a testament to the many individuals and groups who are working tirelessly towards sustainable futures.”

The aim of ITF’s Sustainable Community Forestry Programme is to provide funding to community-based organisations (CBOs) and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in sub-Saharan Africa, enabling the delivery of community-level participatory projects that conserve and restore local forest resources and associated biodiversity.

It also helps organisations improve local livelihoods through the sustainable use of trees and related income generation, and to increase resilience to climate change.

The support of this new programme follows Wessanen UK becoming the first corporate sponsor of ITF’s new 20 Million Trees Appeal, which aims to plant 20 million trees in and around Kenya’s highland forests by 2024, when ITF will celebrate its Centenary.

To find out more about the projects from CENDEP Cameroon, Ny Tanintsika Madagascar and CSRAD Ghana, please visit http://internationaltreefoundation.org/3-new-partners-scf/