Help Us Plant “Trees for Tomorrow” in Guyana!

HELP US PLANT "TREES FOR TOMMOROW" IN GUYANA!

By Yvonne Dennis, BSc; MES. 12 October 2022

A QUICK LOOK!

We're planting "Trees for Tomorrow" in Guyana and need YOUR help! We're filling our meadows with fruit trees ... helping to preserve Guyana's incredible range of amazing fruit! We have the space on our family farm. However, we need to upgrade our water collection systems, prepare land, buy more seeds/seedlings, plant and care for the young trees and do so much more. Read our story and see our full breakdown of costs below.

Be part of something amazing today!

Help leave the legacy of the fruit trees of Guyana for the generations of tomorrow!

WHAT?

Dawn on our family farm in Guyana ... misty meadows ... howler monkeys in the distance ... parakeets screeching overhead ... simply amazing!

Imagine filling our meadows with fruit trees ... helping to preserve Guyana's incredible range of amazing fruit! Help us transform our meadows into orchards of "Trees for Tomorrow!"

WHERE?

"Trees for Tomorrow" are being planted on our family farm in Guyana. Guyana is a lush South American country surrounded by Brazil, Venezuela and Suriname with the raging Atlantic Ocean to the north. Some of Guyana's forests contribute to:

• The Guiana Shield - one of the few untouched rainforests left in the world; and
• The globally renowned Amazon - the biggest tropical rainforest.

So, although Guyana is relatively small, it makes a huge contribution to global climate stability - forests help take harmful carbon dioxide out of our air and add life-giving oxygen. Guyana's forests also play a vital role in biodiversity conservation since they're habitats for countless plants and animals. Through the ecosystem services they provide, they help reduce erosion, build soil and fuel the water cycle. Hence, it's vital to balance forest conservation with the production of food through agriculture.

WHY?

The "Trees for Tomorrow" campaign aims to help preserve the wide diversity of Guyanese fruit trees for both present and future generations. This is why:

• Food security: Fruits (like carambola, pawpaw, coconut and plantains) give us extremely valuable nutrients. Hence, in these brutal economic times, relatively low-cost fruits are so important to us. "Small days fruits" (the fruits which grew abundantly when I was a child, like dunks, genips, and jamoons) can hardly be found now. "Rainforest" fruits (such as awara and kokerit) are unknown to many people. This is largely because of the ever-growing preference for convenience foods, due to today's accelerating lifestyles. The fruits which grow in Guyana relate to our history and enrich our diverse culture. Our farm contributes to food security through small-scale agricultural production. We plant vegetables, coconuts, pineapple and passion fruit. Livestock are a critical source of manure and help control weeds and pests.
• Climate stability, biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services: The farm also helps climate stability, biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services since we have retained tracts of original forest. Roadways and fields are lined with corridors of forest and clusters of trees are scattered throughout fields. These forest buffer zones also provide biosecurity (by reducing the spread of pests and pathogens), security, privacy and beauty. They provide a good example of balancing forest conservation with food production.
• Our meadows (fields of wild plants like grasses, legumes, herbs and wildflowers): These are habitats for pollinators and other insects, birds and small animals. They're packed with naturally growing food and medicinal plants (like sweet sage and sand bitters). Meadow vegetation makes low-cost livestock fodder. When "Trees for Tomorrow" transforms these meadows into beautiful orchards, we expect these spaces to contribute even more to food security, climate stability and wildlife conservation.

WHO?

We're a husband-and-wife team. We're grateful that our wider family generously share their advice and support with us. For example, my mother always gives encouragement. My sister (Celeste St. Hill) is an informal, voluntary advisor. She has years of experience in the biological and environmental fields. We're a family which simply loves growing food as naturally as possible and sharing what we learn (for example through our website: www:foodforthefamilytoday.weebly.com). We're passionate about food security ... "Food for the Family!"

I'm Yvonne Dennis. For years I worked as an environmental/sustainable development advisor at the international, regional and national levels. I helped launch the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity globally as well as in Guyana. More recently, my focus has shifted to applying my technical expertise to promoting Climate Smart Agricultural approaches for enhancing food security.

My husband (James Dennis) has a special interest in crop/livestock interactions especially using animals to convert natural inputs (like coconut fronds) into high-value soil enhancers and plant food. He also promotes free-range, low-chemical farming.

HURDLES?

These are some of the major challenges that we face in launching "Trees for Tomorrow:

• Limited water supply: We're "off the grid" for water and electricity so need to be totally self-sufficient here. Therefore, it's imperative that we increase the volume of water collected and stored for general use and in case irrigation suddenly becomes essential. Hence, rainwater harvesting mechanisms must be upgraded and a new pump and generator installed for our well. We aim to plant most of the trees during the upcoming rainy season (expected from around November 2022 to January 2023). However, we still need to be prepared for unexpected dry spells, since the weather has become so very unpredictable.
• Poor quality soils: The farm is located on sand which is nutrient-poor and does not retain water well. Therefore, large quantities of manure and other soil enhancers are needed.
• Aggressive pests: We take on-going preventative action (including monitoring patrols) to minimise damage to our crops by acoushie ants and grazers (such as deer).

WHEN?

Here are the phases and timelines:

• Pilot Phase (Assessing Tree Resilience): March - October 2022: We have planted a variety of fruit trees in order to assess resilience to our specific field conditions (i.e. water stress, poor sandy soils and pests). This Phase is almost completed.
• Phase 1 (Planting and Caring of the Trees): October 2022 - February 2023: This phase is timed to catch the upcoming rainy season, hence the February 2023 deadline. Major project activities include the planting and caring of the trees, improving water security, enhancing the soils, pest management and the planning of Phase 2. They are listed below in more detail under "HOW AND HOW MUCH."
• Phase 2 (Maintenance and Outreach): March 2023 - February 2024: This is not part of this campaign but is expected to be covered in a follow up initiative. "Maintenance" will involve the long-term caring for the trees. The goal of "Outreach" will be to use the "Trees for Tomorrow" orchards to educate and generate wider awareness about the impressive range of Guyanese fruit, the importance of preserving it and the related food security and environmental issues.

HOW AND HOW MUCH?

The "Trees for Tomorrow" Phase 1 costs are £10,000. Here are the major project activities and their estimated costs (rounded off and in British pounds - £):

Improving water security:

• Upgrading rainwater harvesting mechanisms (£1200)
• Installing a new pump and generator for the well (£1500)

Enhancing poor sandy soils:

• Preparing the land for cultivation (£800)
• Purchasing and applying manure and soil enhancers (£500)

Planting the fruit trees:

• Listing the fruit trees (£100)
• Buying and nurturing seeds and seedlings (£900)
• Planting the trees (£1400)

Caring for the fruit trees (£1400):

• Monitoring the young trees
• Applying manure as required
• Managing water stress
• Pruning

Managing aggressive pests (£700):

• Conducting monitoring patrols
• Controlling acoushie ants
• Deterring grazers

Planning Phase 2 - Maintenance and Outreach (£500):

Miscellaneous/Contingency (£1000):

TOTAL: £10,000

The number of fruit trees that we are able to plant will be proportional to the amount of funding that we actually receive.

COMMUNITY BENEFITS

We expect that:

• Phase 1 (Planting and Caring of the Trees): People from nearby communities will be offered work preparing the land and planting and caring for the trees.
• Phase 2 (Outreach): Education, training and awareness building will also benefit local communities.
• Some fruit, seeds and seedlings will be donated to disadvantaged/vulnerable groups in nearby communities

SUSTAINABILITY

We also expect that:

• Phase 2 (Maintenance): This will assist with caring for the orchards for the first year.
• Some of the proceeds from any sale of the fruit, seeds and seedlings will be used for the long-term care of the orchards, establishing similar orchards elsewhere and ongoing outreach activities. Hence, the proceeds will contribute to the sustainability of the initiative.

UPDATES

Updates will be posted at least once a month.

REWARDS

• For donations between £25 and £99: We'll email you a personalised booklet with recipes based on Guyanese produce. Just let us know if you want the e-card in the name of a loved one instead of yourself.
• For donations between £100 and £199: Two (2) beautiful young fruit trees will be planted in your name (and/or the name your loved one). We'll email you two (2) personalised e-cards in the names you choose, showing the trees in their new habitats with some highlights about the type of fruit they will bear.
• For donations between (£200 and £399: Four (4) beautiful young fruit trees will be planted in your name (and/or the name your loved one). We'll email you four (4) personalised e-cards in the names you choose, showing the trees in their new habitats with some highlights about the type of fruit they will bear.
• For donations between (£400 and £600): Six (6) beautiful young fruit trees will be planted in your name (and/or the name your loved one). We'll email you six (6) personalised e-cards in the names you choose showing the trees in their new habitats with some highlights about the type of fruit they will bear.

Your support, comments and inputs would be really appreciated!

HELP LEAVE THE LEGACY OF THE FRUIT TREES OF GUYANA FOR THE GENERATIONS OF TOMORROW!

Copyright © Yvonne Dennis 2022