The Great Green Wall
Growing trees and restoring land across Africa, contributing to the Great Green Wall movement.
Share
“The Great Green Wall is a symbol of hope... We have to give young people something that will make them thrive, and not just survive. We have to create a dream that inspires them" - Inna Modja
What is the Great Green Wall?
The Great Green Wall is an epic international effort to grow a vast belt of trees, vegetation and fertile land across the drylands of the Sahel in Africa. This huge region sits on the edge of ever-growing deserts and for the millions who live there, the climate crisis is already being felt hard.
Community-focused and African-led, the movement was originally envisaged as an 8,000km band of trees, but this ambitious project is now much more than that. Its strength is that is tackles many urgent needs at once. Increasing biodiversity, restoring and protecting land, growing nutritious food, and creating green jobs for the millions of people living along its path.
The Great Green Wall is bringing Africa’s degraded landscapes back to life and reclaiming the land for people. The benefits of this wonder will be felt around the world.
Why is it so important?
The Great Green Wall is one of the most urgent movements of our time. In the Sahel region of Africa where we work, people live with the effects of the climate crisis every day. Land is rapidly losing its fertility. People can't grow enough food and poverty is increasing. Millions are forced to go hungry or, worse, flee their homes in search of employment.
By supporting the Great Green Wall, together we have the power to tackle the devastating effects of the climate crisis and desertification.
How is Tree Aid contributing?
The African Union and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) are working together to make this ambitious project a reality. Tree Aid is proud to work with both organisations and be part of this movement.
Across all of our projects in Ghana, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Mali, Niger, and Ethiopia, we grow trees, restore land, and create green jobs in support of the Great Green Wall. Our ongoing contribution to this movement of change is supporting millions of people to tackle poverty and grow greener futures.
What have we achieved?
Since Tree Aid began in 1987, we have grown over 27 million trees with communities across the drylands of Africa. In fact, we now grow 1 tree every 19 seconds as part of the Great Green Wall.
We have restored and protected over 167 thousand hectares of degraded land too – that’s bigger than the size of Greater London!
Already farmers are reaping the rewards, with bigger harvests and more food to eat and sell. We also help grow businesses, supporting communities to make and sell tree products, like shea butter and soap, supporting over 39 thousand people to develop enterprise groups selling tree products too.
Looking to the future
By 2030, the movement aims to have restored 100 million hectares of land across the entire width of Africa. Tree Aid has already grown millions of trees and restored thousands of hectares of land, contributing to the Great Green Wall movement. But there is still more to be done.
With your support, we will work with more communities across the Sahel. We will grow even more trees and restore huge areas of land. Together, we will help transform the lives of millions of people living in poverty and suffering the effects of the climate crisis.
