Community planting trees at the Humane School
Donation protected
Alarming news!!
We recently bought the plot for the Humane School, and if you looked it up on Google Maps it was the greenest place in the area! An oasis in a dry populated land. A wonderful place for birds and insects and an important source for oxygen given out by the trees and carbon dioxide caught by the trees and stored for 150 years to come in their biomass.
Unfortunately the big old trees were not a part of the purchase price, and the previous owner came and cut down all the tall beautiful eucalyptus- and grevillea trees, among others.
Background
The Humane School is a Steiner/Waldorf school started in 2008 in the kenyan countryside to give the children a chance to a quality education that they would never have the chance to meet, a head- heart and hand education which combines arts, crafts and music with reading, writing and counting. Most important of all is that the school teaches the children organic farming in an area where soil quality is detoriated by pesticides and fertilizers.
The Humane School Plot 2019
The same spot today 2021
Sammy, the agricultural technologist at the Humane School, wants to make the best of the situation and is planning a tree planting day together with the parents and children of the school. This day will bring new trees to the plot and at the same time educate the community on the importance of big trees and their ecosystem. If we at the end of the day could give out tree seedlings to parents helping out, we are not only giving fruit trees to people who need to grow more food, but also helping the area become more lush.
Recently we are seeing the effects of the climate change, long dry periods and rains that flood the ground pulling away the top soil, locusts eating all green they can find. Now it is time to learn from the past concerning growing and bring it to the future!
Let’s create a forest where food is growing!
What are the benefits of a food forest?
The plants are perennial, so there is a constant living undisturbed ecosystem underground, with microorganisms and fungi that help the plants find water and minerals. In a normal vegetable farm the humans have to provide this for the plants by fertilizing and watering, but a food forest once established takes care of itself more or less. It is also constantly binding carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in its biomass and a grown up tree is its own ecosystem for species, many birds, insects and microorganisms that thrive in the presence of a tree.
Since the roots of the perennial plants are deep the plants are more resistant to droughts and floods and plant diseases.
What is a food forest?
A food forest is perennial crops which are grown together like a forest. You have big fruit trees such as orange, pawpaw, mango, avocado, white sapote, macadamia, tamarind, neem tree, meru oak, banana, plums, tree tomato, and please fill in your local favourite fruit tree!
You grow berries and fruits as shrubs such as currants, kei apple, pineapple and mulberry. There are climbers that use the trees for support, and what would be more lovely than picking fresh passionfruit from a tree?
On the ground you can grow pumpkin, melons and groundnuts and below the ground cassava. I’m sure you will find a space for your perennial amaranths, moringa and mint.
Other benefits from a food forest: You can harvest timber, fodder for animals and plant medicine.
We recently bought the plot for the Humane School, and if you looked it up on Google Maps it was the greenest place in the area! An oasis in a dry populated land. A wonderful place for birds and insects and an important source for oxygen given out by the trees and carbon dioxide caught by the trees and stored for 150 years to come in their biomass.
Unfortunately the big old trees were not a part of the purchase price, and the previous owner came and cut down all the tall beautiful eucalyptus- and grevillea trees, among others.
Background
The Humane School is a Steiner/Waldorf school started in 2008 in the kenyan countryside to give the children a chance to a quality education that they would never have the chance to meet, a head- heart and hand education which combines arts, crafts and music with reading, writing and counting. Most important of all is that the school teaches the children organic farming in an area where soil quality is detoriated by pesticides and fertilizers.
The Humane School Plot 2019The same spot today 2021Sammy, the agricultural technologist at the Humane School, wants to make the best of the situation and is planning a tree planting day together with the parents and children of the school. This day will bring new trees to the plot and at the same time educate the community on the importance of big trees and their ecosystem. If we at the end of the day could give out tree seedlings to parents helping out, we are not only giving fruit trees to people who need to grow more food, but also helping the area become more lush.
Recently we are seeing the effects of the climate change, long dry periods and rains that flood the ground pulling away the top soil, locusts eating all green they can find. Now it is time to learn from the past concerning growing and bring it to the future!
Let’s create a forest where food is growing!
What are the benefits of a food forest?
The plants are perennial, so there is a constant living undisturbed ecosystem underground, with microorganisms and fungi that help the plants find water and minerals. In a normal vegetable farm the humans have to provide this for the plants by fertilizing and watering, but a food forest once established takes care of itself more or less. It is also constantly binding carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in its biomass and a grown up tree is its own ecosystem for species, many birds, insects and microorganisms that thrive in the presence of a tree.
Since the roots of the perennial plants are deep the plants are more resistant to droughts and floods and plant diseases.
What is a food forest?
A food forest is perennial crops which are grown together like a forest. You have big fruit trees such as orange, pawpaw, mango, avocado, white sapote, macadamia, tamarind, neem tree, meru oak, banana, plums, tree tomato, and please fill in your local favourite fruit tree!
You grow berries and fruits as shrubs such as currants, kei apple, pineapple and mulberry. There are climbers that use the trees for support, and what would be more lovely than picking fresh passionfruit from a tree?
On the ground you can grow pumpkin, melons and groundnuts and below the ground cassava. I’m sure you will find a space for your perennial amaranths, moringa and mint.
Other benefits from a food forest: You can harvest timber, fodder for animals and plant medicine.
Fundraising team: The Humane School Sweden (2)
Anja Varis
Organizer
Järna, AB, Sweden
Anna Schou
Team member
