Project Details

Did you know? The latest studies suggest that nothing is as effective in combatting climate change as afforestation. Newly-planted trees have the potential to absorb up to ⅔ of the man-made CO2 emissions generated so far. That's why we made it our goal to have planted a total of 250,000 trees in Ethiopia by the end of 2021. That's roughly equivalent to an area of 200 football fields. Within the next five years alone, these trees will absorb about 12,500,000 kg of CO2 from our atmosphere.

But trees do a lot more than "just" binding CO2. Through reforestation, our project with Green Ethiopia helps to sustainably improve people's livelihoods through afforestation by supporting their food security and improving their water supplies. That's because - a lesser-known side effect - forests store water. They stop water run-off during the rainy season, instead the water penetrates into the ground and after some months it re-appears to the surface at the bottom of the mountains and hills after some months. Fresh water springs develop, ponds and pools evolve, during the month-long dry season.

Now the water is available for use by people, animals, and plants. Said water is collected in dams, wells and ponds, and then canals lead it to the farming fields. The water flowing to the fields is used for irrigation of cultivation: corn, beans, vegetable and fruit trees are cultivated and watered during the dry season. Fruits and vegetables enrich the nutrition of families' diets. In addition, locals can sell some of the excess production of fruits and vegetables on the market to earn some income.

Bare hills are the starting point for Green Ethiopia's projects. The fields at the foot of those hills lack moisture in their soil and thus there is the danger of erosion, flooding, and desertification. To counteract this, Green Ethiopia plant tree seedlings over a period of about six months during the dry season. Before planting them, the soil has to be prepared so that the seedlings grow well during the rainy season and survive the next dry season unscathed. The seedlings grow into trees within a few years; after one year, the grass grows back, after two years there is water in the brooks, and after about five years the trees already have a height of about five meters.