Benin Community Inclusion Testimonial

Actions speak louder than words, but actions + words are a proof of results. A testimony of local farmer in Benin, with whom Graine de Vie (through our local partner CEDV) worked to restore his estate, demonstrates how we engage with local communities. Our reforestation strategy includes a strong commitment to involve local communities in restoring their natural environment and providing them with means to improve their livelihood. Our trees nurseries provide employment and a source of income. The seedlings are distributed free of charge and planted in villager’s land parcels, creating a source of food and income (fruit and cash crop trees).  Hence, our projects are well preserved and maintained long term by the communities where we are present.

Graine de Vie and MNP signs an agreement

We are proud to announce that yesterday Graine De Vie and Madagascar National Parks signed a new cooperation agreement to amplify activities related to joined reforestation projects aiming to restore ecosystems, raise awareness among local communities by involving them in project work, and establishing tree nurseries in surrounding areas.
This agreement marks another key milestone of collaboration between MNP and Graine de Vie in our joint fight against the effects of climate change.

Image preview

Partner spotlight : POP MEDIA

Partner Spotlight: 4,000 clove trees were planted last week and 10,000 more are planned to be grown in a nursery sponsored by our long-term contributor Pop Media (Belgium). Many thanks to Pop Media’s lasting commitment.

  • POP MEDIA

 

Why Save Mangroves

Last week we celebrated International Mangrove Day with many Graine de Vie’s activities in our 14 mangrove projects. What is the importance of mangrove forests and how can you help to protect them?

 

Reforestation of private properties on Burkina Faso

The Graine de Vie Burkina Faso team carries on its reforestation activities on many private properties. It’s good to see that not only the local authorities but also private citizens of the country understand what’s at stake with nature-based solutions to climate change.

This child planted his tree 3 years ago

This child planted his tree 3 years ago at his home and this is what it looks like today. We are grateful to all children who get involved with our activities.
Sapling source: nursery site in Sambava region SAVA Madagascar.
Children are a cornerstone of our future – including the well being of our planet’s forest. That’s why we put a lot of emphasis on educating children about the value of forests. We give them tree saplings to plant, they care for them and then enjoy the grown trees.
#reforestation #carbonoffsets #climateaction

Celebrating the Earth Day 2023

Celebrating the Earth Day 2023 last Saturday Graine de Vie Madagascar – Region DIANA, proposed 3 mangrove restoration activities, with the help of our local Partners (ACD2 , DREDD DIANA , Chief FKT Marofady and a group of University Students:
1.     Cleaning the surrounding zones
2.     Awareness session about importance of forests
3.     Actual restoration of 1 ha of mangrove with planting 2000 propagules
#earthday2023 #mangroves #carbonoffset

Reforestation with direct seeding, it works !

Graine de Vie has been developing for 5 years a direct seeding tree planting technique which consists of selecting, treating and planting seeds directly into the soil and we are making great progress.
Here are tree seedlings of several species whose seeds were planted last April near Manakara (south-east of Madagascar) with a success rate of more than 60%.
This technique allows us to envisage the planting of several tens of millions of trees each year.

First Graine de Vie Tree nursery in Benin

First Graine de vie tree nursery has just been created in Benin in the capital Cotonou not far from the Abomey Calabi University.
4 days of activity from Wednesday 26th to Saturday 29th.
We put in fast-growing plants to reforest in June.
So far we have managed to plant 4000 of them. The Beninese association CEDV “Chaque Enfant à Droit à la Vie” will continue the work starting next week.

 

Direct seeding in the Bongolava region

Direct seeding in Bongolava region. On Monday, our local manager Voara reports that a team from Graine de vie from Tananarivo had gone to the Bongolava Region to carry out direct planting with the deputy and the villagers as well as two people from the army. We were able to plant 10,430 seeds on an area of 10 ha.

 

Forest fires and deforestation in Togo

In Togo we have about 25 tree nurseries currently active with 7 new ones coming soon while also creating awareness about forest fires and deforestation trough radio and local media.

From Gerard Dogo our local Graine de vie responsable

This morning on Radio Planète Plus. Theme: forest fires and deforestation.

 

This morning on Radio Planète Plus. Theme: forest fires and deforestation.

 

Reforesting, conservation and accounting for our work efforts

Reforesting, conservation and accounting for our work efforts is a big job as the sites are often in very remote and difficult to access zones. Our teams travel for days to reach them. The last trip (couple of weeks ago) took 3 days: 5-hour river crossing by motorized canoe before reaching the village of Antanandavahely. From there, 2,5 days walk on foot to reach Betsirebaka restoration plot in Masoala Park, Madagascar, where we planted on 50ha of degraded land. #conservation #reforestation #treeplanting #carbonfootprint

 

Direct seeding produces fast results

Reforestation with direct sowing in Madagascar produces very fast results – young seedlings are visible in just a few weeks after seeds were panted in the soil. And in no time they are ready to absorb CO2. With the help of indigenous people we sow direct millions of seeds every year.

#climatechange #planttrees @grainedevie #carboncapture

No alternative text description for this image

Raising Environmental awareness

Environmental awareness raising is a part of our NGO’s charter. This includes activities in schools with active involvement of schoolchildren. Recently we delivered seminars in schools of Cotonou (Benin) about the protection of the environment and in particular protection of trees. #reforestation #environmentaleducation

 

Cameroon reforestation

Cameroon is quickly becoming a key area of reforestation activities for Graine de Vie. In only 6 months we already stablished 11 tree nurseries. This week we distributed cash crop seedlings to the local population so that they plant on their own tree lots: 7,000 seedlings in the Commune of Doumé (East region) and 21,000 seedlings in the Commune of Mbandjock (Central region). The species we distributed include: cocoa, citrus, non-timber forest products, acacia carabinia, safflower, nymier, wild mango, wild olives, badamiers, mango, jackfruit and more. #agroforestry #treeplanting #reforestation #carbonreduction

 

Direct seeding

Our #reforestation method of direct seeding in Madagascar has shown great success over the years. And because Madagascar has favorable climate conditions, the results are visible in only few months. Here we see young seedlings grown from direct seeding activity 5 months ago (February 2022) in the village of Antolojahary, one of the villages of Father Pedro. #planttrees #carbonoffsets

No alternative text description for this image

400 tree nurseries

Since our inception in 2009 we created and maintain over 400 tree nurseries in 5 countries. All of them exist because they are created and maintained with full support of indigenous communities. They improve livelihood thousands of villagers: they provide jobs, produce food (fruit trees) and they become a focal center of local activities. #reforestation #fightinghunger #carbonoffset

No alternative text description for this image

From seed to tree

From seed to tree – that’s what we do and it’s all 100% organic. So what is our source of seeds? We collect them straight from the local trees/plants, store them in specialized storage facilities (constructed by locals with all local materials) and before they are planted in nurseries or in situ we pre-treat them in a natural process. Graine de Vie owns the process from A to Z to ensure that all is done with respect of the local nature. #climatechange #carbonoffset #planttrees

No alternative text description for this image

Youdo play Ltd.

Thank you Youdo-play our UK EcoPartner – for giving us the opportunity to share our story with your network. Youdo play has been our partner for a while now, compensating their business’ footprint by planting thousands of trees in Madagascar.

Local villagers planting trees in Madagascar

Burkina Faso educational seminars

In collaboration with the headmaster and school director of high schools in villages of Koro and Kotedougou, Burkina Faso, Graine de Vie delivered education seminars to pupils to raise their awareness of negative impact of bush fires on their living environment. Bush fires in the are often caused by children.
#carbonemissions #carbonfootprint #environmentaleducation

No alternative text description for this image

First nursery in RDC

Graine de Vie inaugurated our first tree nursery in Democratic Republic of Congo (RDC). With the help of our Togo team, our newly established RDC team was trained to begin our reforestation activities in the vast regions in the country.
#climatecrisis #reforestation #carbonreduction

No alternative text description for this image

Benin Sterculia foetida trees

Climate conditions in Benin are very favorable for tree growth, giving us an opportunity to sequester CO2 very quickly after sowing. Sterculia foetida trees which we planted only 2 years ago have grown several meters high and terminalia catapa’s trees planted 3 years ago are already producing fruit.
#reforestation #carbonfootprint #carboncapture

No alternative text description for this image

Commune de KIIKI

For 5 days this month Graine de Vie Cameroon’s team, with help of local villagers, carried out intensive situ seeding of 20 hectares. The project includes reforestation of this 180-hectare reserve within the next 2 years.
#planttrees #carboncapture #carbonfootprintreduction

No alternative text description for this image

VOHIMARINA

Our annual distribution season of young seedlings has began. Thousands of local villagers and associations line up at our nurseries to receive free plants to be replanted in their own plots and reforestation zones around their villagers. In VOHIMARINA : Commune AMBATOASANA Centre, Region ITASY (Madagascar) 10,000 seedlings were distributed. The tree species include: citriodora, accacia, jacaranda, ravitsara, moringa and coffee. #reforestation #treeplanting #carbonoffset

No alternative text description for this image

Burkina Faso

Another country joins the ranks of our cause: Burkina Faso. Our new team on the ground just started few weeks ago and is already very much at work establishing our first nurseries on the Burkinabe soil. #reforestation #carbonfootprint #planttrees #grainedevie

No alternative text description for this image

Reforestation of 40 hectares in Mahanoro Vatomandry

As part of the official opening of the national reforestation campaign in the eastern region of Madagascar, GrainedeVie has provided more than 80,000 seeds for the reforestation of 40 hectares in Mahanoro Vatomandry.
GrainedeVie, present in Madagascar since 2009, implements sustainable development projects in 19 regions of the island.
Offset your carbon footprint by supporting our projects!

 

Tree planting day in Togo

All our teams are hard at work distributing and helping the population to plant the 850,000 tree seedlings from our 25 nurseries

Graine de Vie visits Benin

We already deployed 6 tree nurseries producing 180.000 seedlings. In Benin we will launch several new projects with the help of the authorities and the local NGO CEDV.

First tree nurseries in Ghana

After Madagascar, Togo, Benin and Cameroon, here are our first tree nurseries in Ghana.
Grainedevie, reforestation integrated into local life.

Help us to distribute useful tree seedlings free of charge to all those villagers who see their environment disappear.

 

Mangrove restoration Nosy-Hara marine park

Restoration day at the mangrove of the marine park of Nosy-Hara. Already 110.000 mangrove plants transplanted since 5 years by the women of the village in difficult conditions because of the mud.

Parc-marin-Losy-Hara

Nosy-Hara Marine Park

Tree nurseries in Cameroon

A small summary of Grainedevie’s actions in Cameroon. Here you can see the tree nurseries(4) in CAMEROON in December 2020.

Central region.
-1 Mbandjock department of haute sanaga
-1 kiiki department of Mbam inoubou.

Western region.
-1 mbouda department of Bamboutos.
-1 Batcham Bamboutos department.

And the adventure continues.

 

Reforestation together with the Army at Andohazompona.

Reforestation plot, a collaboration between Grainedevie and the army in Andohazompona,
with young plants coming from the Amber Mountain.
From December to this day, the number of transplants is
12 468, including 6 species of cash trees (Hintsina, Mandrorofo, Aramy, Mango, Papaya, Corrosol).

 

Seed distribution for direct seeding

Distribution of two million seeds to the 61 villages of the Amoron’i Mania region for our direct seeding plantations.
A technique developed by Graine de Vie that consists of selecting, preparing, and then planting seeds directly into the soil.

 

seed distribution for direct seeding

Beginning of the rainy season

Beginning of the rainy season in Madagascar.
All our teams prepare to plant more than FIVE MILLION trees from our 222 nurseries.

Liège airport finances the restoration of the Analamerana reserve

To reduce the carbon footprint linked to the operation of its infrastructures, the Liège airport authorities are financing a program for reforestation of the Analamerana reserve in north-eastern Madagascar with the creation of tree nurseries in the villages surrounding the reserve and the planting of 120,000 trees each year. Two new nurseries were created this week.

 

Reforestation program in Benin

The Graine de vie philosophy is to do reforestation directly with the populations of the villages that draw resources from the forest. After Madagascar and Togo, we are planting our first trees in Benin where we plan to create 5 nurseries this year.

In addition to the environmental aspect, our activities have a significant social aspect because:
1)- half of the trees we plant are trees that produce food resources for the daily life of inhabitants (fruit
trees,…).
2)- Graine de Vie employs not only full time but also temporary day labourers providing financial means to thousands of people during different phases of plantation: from production to tree planting (nurseries, fence making, seed harvesting, terracing, potting, transplanting, transporting seedlings, digging wells, etc.).
3)- Graine de Vie raises awareness of hundreds of thousands of people about the need to protect and restore forests to ensure a better future for humanity.