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In the heart of Sagal, Senegal, something remarkable is taking root, a transformation led not by machines or mega-corporations, but by local communities planting trees, growing food, and rewriting their own future. At the center of this movement stands Mother Trees, a reforestation partner of Impact Hero, whose mission is to do far more than just plant trees.
“We’ve planted over 250 million trees around the world,” says John Leary, founder of Mother Trees. But for him, the real magic lies not in numbers, but in people. “The magic behind this entire program is that we’re working with a honey cooperative… It’s a beautiful harmony between trees and bees.”
Mother Trees’ model is rooted in agroforestry, an approach that integrates trees into farmland. This is not just about growing forests; it’s about restoring self-sufficiency in some of the world’s most food-insecure areas.
“In a world where most farmers are growing monocrops, our diversification strategy increases income for families by 300% or more in four years,” John explains. From juicy mangoes to protein-rich cashews and vitamin-packed leafy greens, families learn to grow a variety of crops that provide nutrition and income all year round, even in the dry season.
But this transformation doesn’t start in the market. It begins with a living fence - a green protective fence of trees and shrubs
“The living fence is really this kind of transformative agroforestry technology,” John shares. “Once you get that protection around the farm, farmers can finally start to invest in their field for the first time.”
These green barriers not only keep out grazing animals like goats and hippos, which can devastate entire harvests ,but also serve as windbreakers, water regulators, and biodiversity havens.
Mother Trees’ approach is deliberately hands-on and hyper-local. Each technician, like Baseru, supports around 125 families, helping them plan, plant, and prosper. “Every family grows their own seedlings,” John explains, “and by year three, their field is protected, productive, and resilient.”
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In Senegal, this grassroots system has already trained over 1,000 farming families. Some of the more complex fruit trees like grafted mangoes and citrus are provided centrally, but most of the knowledge and labor stay within the community.
Training happens under trees, in fields, and in close-knit cohort groups of 25 a number chosen not just for learning, but for cooperative building. These groups are the foundation for long-term support and business development.
“We always make sure that even the quietest, shyest person in the room gets a voice,” says John. “Because eventually, these people are going to do business together.”
Economic resilience is key to environmental resilience. That’s why each group of farmers forms a Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA). Weekly contributions a “quarter in the bucket” allow members to borrow money for microenterprises like beekeeping, poultry farming, or setting up irrigation.
“When they save $500, we match it with another $500,” John explains. “That $1,000 becomes the seed capital for real transformation.”
These savings groups are also an incubator for empowerment. Farmers elect lead farmers, many of them women, who become local leaders and eventually cooperative managers. This builds long-term ownership and a future-proof structure for scaling impact.
One of the most heartwarming stories from Sagal is that of Mustafa a towering former military officer who has become one of Mother Trees’ most passionate advocates.
“Mustafa walks 10 kilometers in every direction from his home,” says John. “He’s not just restoring his land, he’s encouraging everyone around him to do the same.” Once a symbol of strength in conflict, Mustafa is now a beacon of peace, a true “mother tree” himself, nurturing others to grow strong.
Mother Trees doesn’t rush into forest restoration. “You can’t talk about climate when people are hungry,” John says. That’s why the first two years focus purely on food security. Only in year three or four, once the families are stable, does full-scale reforestation begin.
And it’s working, in both Haiti and Senegal, families who once struggled with food insecurity are now harvesting fruit during the driest months, protecting their fields from wildlife, and even hosting displaced relatives in new gardens.
In the long run, John envisions exporting products like cashews, moringa, and honey with their own cooperative brand. But more importantly, he sees the growth of pride, dignity, and independence.
“When the mud hut gets turned into a concrete home with a tin roof… that’s the proof,” he says. “That’s the reason farmers are lining up 7,000 of them asking to join.”
With every planting supported by Impact Hero, you are creating real change - for climate, food security and communities worldwide.
Thank you for being part of it. 🌱
From Impact with love,
Dr. Hannah Schragmann
Chief Transparency Officer
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