The Trees Sustain Life project, called Emiti Nibwo Bulora (ENB) in Swahili, is a climate compensation project in the Kagera region in Tanzania. It promotes agroforestry among smallholder farmers to enhance livelihoods, restore ecosystems, and combat climate change.
Sustainable agroforestry practices
The project focuses on sustainable agroforestry practices such as dispersed interplanting and boundary planting. By integrating trees into their farming systems, farmers can improve soil fertility, conserve water, and provide firewood from tree pruning, reducing deforestation. These practices help farmers increase productivity, regenerate degraded lands, and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. The project also rehabilitates degraded land, addressing biodiversity loss through planting endangered tree species, and promoting the conservation of water sources and wetlands.
Climate change mitigation
The project has been operational since 2008. As of 2023, farmers in the project had planted over 619,848 trees, sequestering 76,759 tons of CO2. Trees Sustain Life receives funding through the sale of carbon credits Certified under the Plan Vivo Standard.
Community empowerment and gender equality
Extension services provided by the implementing partner, Smart Farmers and Transformation (SFT), include business development, land management, gender awareness, and human rights-based approaches. The project emphasizes long-term benefits for both the environment and the farmers, offering improved food security, resilience to climate impacts, and financial stability.
Trees Sustain Life emphasizes the meaningful participation of women and youth in all activities. Women have equal participation in trainings and leadership roles within Plan Vivo farmer groups. Through Household Road Map training, women have gained access and control over valuable resources such as land ownership, with many women owning various enterprises.
Running until 2031
By 2021, 620 farmers completed their 10-year contracts, during which they received incentive payments for planting and maintaining trees, read more here. Still, a number of farmers are doing climate compensation in the project, running until year 2031.
Learn more about Trees Sustain Life in this video:
Project name: Trees Sustain Life / Emiti Nibwo Bulora (ENB) / Träd ger liv
Context: The Kagera region in Tanzania faces challenges such as environmental degradation, low agricultural productivity, and climate change impacts.
Main purpose: Sequester carbon dioxide, enhance livelihoods, restore ecosystems, and combat climate change through sustainable agroforestry practices.
Duration: 2008 – 2031.
Location: Kagera region, Tanzania.
Target group: Smallholder farmers.
Donors: Funded through the sale of Plan Vivo carbon credits.
Implementing partner: Smart Farmers Transformation (SFT).