Tové Banu, Togo, June 2022
The project aimed to plant an old variety of cacao tree under fertilizer trees. Indeed, planting these fertilizer and cacao trees – with the latter being an old variety is highly resistant and prized for its organoleptic qualities – offers a great many benefits. These trees will provide a decent income for the families while regenerating the soil, and so protect the neighbouring forest from the old practice of slash-and-burn.
The objective was to plant 10,600 perennial trees, of which 600 fertilizer trees and 10,000 cacao trees among 150 beneficiaries in the village of Tové Banu.
Between 2018 and 2022, the local teams from APAF Togo, A Tree for You‘s partner in the field, accompanied the project beneficiaries in various activities. The beneficiaries and local population gained awareness and received training on different topics related to climate change, soil degradation, and agroforestry with fertiliser and forest trees.
Following these awareness-raising and training sessions, groups of nurserymen/women were provided with the small equipment needed to start setting up a nursery.
Next, the seedlings were distributed to the beneficiaries, who then planted them on their plots.
In total, 12,380 seedlings were grown, planted, and maintained by 32 farming families; representing about 150 beneficiaries.
| N° | Agroforestry and forest species | Tové Banu |
| Cacao or fruit trees | 11,000 | |
| 1 | Cacao forastero | 11,000 |
| 2 | Orange trees | 0 |
| Agroforestry trees | 1,380 | |
| 3 | Samanea samane | 556 |
| 4 | Albizia Stipulata | 414 |
| 5 | Terminala Ivoireinsis | 100 |
| 6 | Albizia lebbeck | 0 |
| 7 | Terminalia Superba | 310 |
| Forestry trees | 0 | |
| 8 | Tectonia Grandis | 0 |
| 9 | Khaya Grandifoliola | 0 |
| TOTAL | 12,380 | |
Technical teams from APAF Togo monitored and maintained the young trees planted, as well as assessed their survival rate: which, at over 95%, proved excellent thanks to the good rainfall recorded in the area.
This project ends in 2022. First funded by A Tree for You donors in 2018, it was one of the first projects funded via the A Tree for You platform. Thanks to support from donors, the project kicked off in 2019 with planting of the first trees, which continued in 2020. Over the final years, the young trees have been monitored and maintained.
Great news! The objectives on the project were met and even exceeded:
| Indicators (Number) | Figures from the village of Tové Banu | |||
| Expected results | 2019 | 2020 | Global | |
| Farmers trained | 150 | + 150 | 37 | +187 |
| Total trees planted | 10,600 | 9,880 | 2,500 | 12,380 |
| Perennial trees | 10,600 | – | – | ≈12,000 |
| Cacao or fruit trees | 10,000 | 9,000 | 2,000 | 11,000 |
| Agroforestry trees | 600 | 620 | 350 | 1,380 |
The size of the trees planted in 2019 is certainly impressive and shows just how fast plantations grow in this part of the world. The beneficiaries are delighted to see their trees in good health. These plantations will soon provide a decent income for the families, while regenerating the soil and so protecting the surrounding forest from the old slash-and-burn farming method.
Thank you so much for supporting this project!
