Indigenous Tree Nursery in Zimbabwe

1,050 feet of fencing were put up for AFCA’s new tree project in the Matopos, Zimbabwe. Glinting in the sun, the fence keeps goats, cows and other animals away from the tree nursery where a projected 10,000 trees will reside at any given time. A total of 50,000 saplings will pass through the protected area, starting as seeds planted in the first section, moving on to a covered area where they go from babies to tree toddlerhood. From there, when they are hardened, they will move to a larger area, divided into each different tree type, where they will grow stronger before being given out to the community.

1,600 seedlings are already growing under cover – moringa, orange, lemon, African chewing gum, local hardwood, mango, and many others. More tiny seedlings area already popping up and will join the covered area weekly, growing the numbers of saplings quickly. It is so wonderful to see this firsthand, knowing that Chris’ dream of a tree project is well on its way. Seven local schools and 2000 beneficiary families will receive training and trees, allowing them to eat fruit, harvest honey thanks to our complementary bee project, source moringa for themselves and their goats (complementing our goat project), and provide shade for animals. How fabulous is THAT? So much happening right now on Morning Star, thanks to YOUR generosity. Such good for the local community and for the land, as an additional 25,000 trees will be allowed to grow big and strong on the farm, providing income for a long, long time into the future, while helping keep erosion at bay.

In honor of Norma and Chris Ferguson, who love this land and people so well, thank you for supporting this project and for taking it from a dream to reality! Let’s keep going, as the five years of this project will require thousands more seeds, a new water tank, funds for staffing, transportation, training for beneficiaries and schools, etc. We need YOU today to help beneficiaries and the earth for many years to come.