As the first field mission of our partnership with the Research Group for Forestry Development of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich has shown, there will be no shortage of difficulties, as planting trees is by far not the only concern of the population and we will also have to cope with the surprises of Mother Nature. During each reforestation campaign arboRise tries to to continually adapt our approach to local conditions.

Experimenting and finding practical solutions to obstacles that arise is our method, which has been successful so far. Also thanks to our local partner Guidre, who once again demonstrated their professionalism and multiple skills during this stay in Guinea.

An example? The families who implement our action are cruelly lacking in equipment. We are therefore going to provide them with tarpaulins, which will make it easier to harvest seeds and will also be useful for the women to dry their fonio and cassava crops, and with boots, which are very useful in the rainy season for the families who provide land. We will also create forest management committees in each village, which will support the families on a day-to-day basis, for example in the establishment of hedgerows around the reforested land. We have also strengthened our forestry skills with the involvement of Mr. Kpogomou, an environmental specialist from this region.

We are proud to see our first successes, but we are also extremly curious to discover the failures in our approach and improvement potentials. As every reforestation project we are on a learning journey and we are grateful for each feedback or suggestion!