Trees for Madagascar for Christmas
by Dan Turk
This Christmas, you can help plant native trees and fruit trees at schools and churches in Madagascar; produce grafted mangos and other fruit trees to help low-income farmers get their families out of poverty; produce and plant fast-growing trees to provide needed fuelwood and construction wood. A gift of $50 will provide 5 trees, from production through planting at a church or school.
Continue reading to learn even more about the need for native trees and fruit trees in Madagascar.
Lemurs, tenrecs, harahara trees, and numerous other animals and plants found only on Madagascar are under extreme threat from deforestation due to cutting of trees for firewood and charcoal, conversion of forest to agricultural lands, climate change, and illegal trafficking. Poverty is an underlying cause that is driving deforestation and preventing Madagascar’s children from reaching their educational goals and contributing to the betterment of their country.
The Fruits, Vegetables, and Environmental Education (FVEE) program of the Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar (FJKM) is working with The Outreach Foundation to grow native Malagasy trees, fruit trees, and fast-growing trees to help protect native plants and animals and to help people get out of poverty.
This Christmas, please help
Plant native trees and fruit trees at schools and churches in Madagascar;
Produce grafted mangos and other fruit trees to help low-income farmers get their families out of poverty;
Produce and plant fast-growing trees to provide needed fuelwood and construction wood.
Native Trees and Fruit Trees for Schools and Churches
Average of 15 trees per school and church
70 schools and churches per year
An additional 200 trees will be given to new pastors for planting at their churches
$10 per tree; Total: 15 trees/place x 70 schools and churches + 200 trees for new pastors = 1250 trees x $ 10 = $ 12,500
The purpose is to provide shade, ornament, fruits, and environmental education for students and the general public at schools and churches of the Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar (FJKM)
Among the trees to plant are several endangered species of palms
The $ 10 cost includes the production of trees, delivery to schools and churches, and planting on site.
Examples of native trees for planting at schools and churches:
Baobab: one of Madagascar’s 6 species of endemic baobabs
Beccariophoenix alfredii: a large endemic palm described as a new species in 2007
Beccariophoenix fenestralis: a critically endangered endemic palm known from only 2 individuals in the wild
Bismarckia Nobilis: large endemic palm that has fan-shaped leaves
Chadsia flammea: a small endemic tree with orange flowers
Flamboyant: excellent shade tree with red flowers
Harahara: a tree with flat photosynthetic stems that has very hard wood used for making spade handles
Tahina spectabilis: endemic palm discovered in the 21st century that is considered one of the 100 most endangered species on earth (plants and animals combined)
Examples of fruit trees for planting at schools and churches:
Canistel: a popular fruit in Cuba, great for making smoothies
Jaboticaba: an attractive fruit tree from Brazil that bears fruits on the trunk and large branches
Mango: selected grafted varieties from around the world
Tangerine: high-quality fruits that have a proven record of helping farmers get out of poverty
Production of Grafted Mango Trees
Production of 1,000 trees at the Fruit Tree Center at Mahatsinjo to be given to low-income farmers (4 trees each to 250 farmers per year) as part of training to help them plant, grow, and propagate grafted mango trees
Cost of production: $3 per tree; total: 1,000 trees x $3 = $3,000
Total amount for this project: $10,500 + $ 3,000 = $13,500
Production and plantation of Fast-Growing Trees
Production and plantation of at least 5,000 fast-growing trees (Acacia, Eucalyptus, Gmelina Arborea, etc)
Trees will be produced at the FJKM seminary at Ivato; student pastors will learn how to grow fast-growing trees in this nursery
Trees will be planted as part of the FJKM church’s tree planting efforts
And as we celebrate the birth of God’s greatest gift to us, please consider honoring your friends and family with a gift in their name to Native and Fruit Trees in Madagascar. We will send you a Christmas card acknowledgment that you may send to the person you would like to honor and, in the months, ahead, they will receive updates about the project. You can mail a check to The Outreach Foundation, 381 Riverside Drive, Suite 110, Franklin, TN 37064 designated for Trees in Madagascar - Alternative Christmas Gifts or click here to give online and select the drop-down menu option for Alternative Christmas Gifts - Fruit Trees in Madagascar.