LARGE-SCALE GREENING INITIATIVE

Food & Trees for Africa (FTA), a leading South African social enterprise for environmental sustainability and food security, is partnering with the Johannesburg Inner City Partnership and the Alexandra Water Warriors (AWW) in a transformative greening initiative. The highlight of this project is the distribution of 20,000 trees to homes in Alexandra and Lombardy East townships.

As part of the initiative, FTA will train locals to act as community educators; they will receive specialised training in climate change, tree care, environmental ethics and community engagement to ensure the success of the project over the next six months.

The Trees for Homes programme is FTA’s flagship urban forestry initiative and was South Africa’s first township greening project, addressing the environmental inequities caused by apartheid-era settlement policies. Over the past 35 years, the programme has evolved into the nation’s benchmark for sustainable urban forestry, ensuring environmental benefits, social cohesion and community pride.

Under this initiative, households in Alexandra and Lombardy East will receive fruit trees and indigenous trees which will serve not only as a source of fresh produce but also as a means of improving air quality, combating soil erosion and supporting biodiversity in urban areas.

A team of 25 community educators from the AWW will oversee tree planting, ensuring that households are prepared to care for their new trees. Graduates of the training will receive a certificate of participation, equipping them for future employment opportunities in the green economy.

https://trees.org.za/