Bore

Climate Change is impacting fast in the tropics and this year looks like being a difficult one for the community of Boré. The precipitation forecast map shows that the area where we are planting is likely to have almost double the normal rainfall in the coming months. This is due

Google have recently updated their satellite imagery in the Bore area so its great to finally be able to see some of the impacts of our planting on individual homesteads. This is an aerial view of one family shamba that has been given over to Mango trees. After only 5 years the trees

Our project always tries hard to engage members of the wider community around Boré as we know from experience (and much peer reviewed research) that development interventions which synergise with local and national reafforestation strategies are far more likely to achieve sustainable

A newly planted mango on a recently cleared site. It is still raining in Boré so water has collected in the planting pit and the soil is saturated and dark. This little baby is getting a good head start.

The Little Rains have finally arrived in Bore so the planting can begin. Here workers collaborate to put in mango seedings on a large community planting site. After as little as 2-3 years these trees will start producing a nutritious and valuable crop and then every year the size

Women taking a break from weeding a communal plantation to feed their children (with maize porridge and honey). The meal is called Wari in Swahili and Ughali in the local KiGiriana dialect.

Cashews are centre stage in our nursery at the moment, as we gear up for the coming planting season. These lovely trees are actually related to cactii - they have waxy leaves that reduce transpiration and are able to store up water in their trunks. This makes them incredibly drought

Close up of the grafting process that enables our farmers to improve the value of their mango crop. The attached graft will grow into a branch that will ultimately yield larger, juicier fruit.

By grafting high quality fruit stems on to existing mango trees you can signficantly improve the size and juiciness of the resultant harvest.

Larger, more flavoursome mangoes fetch a premium price at the local markets - meaning more cash for school fees, home improvements and ultimately

Our project manager, Alex Katana sorts out a nice crop of mangoes for sale at the local market. Carbon sequestration, economic empowerment, nutritional improvement and decent employment ;-)

Janet Mranja, one of our key project workers with a member of the Amkeni Women's Group. The women who make up this nearby self-help cooperative are employed in our tree nursery at the busiest times and under guidance from Janet they're using some of their wages to create 'Vertical

Eunice Safari, one of our team of nursery workers, with her twins Martha and Charles. Those trees in the background should be ready to provide some food for these two youngsters by the time they start school :)