Gauteng has one of the world’s largest man-made forests, yet some areas of the province have very few trees. This Arbor Month, Food & Trees for Africa (FTFA) have partnered with Ackermans to plant 1 000 trees in Mamelodi. This will bring the total number of trees planted in the area to 3 750. This community tree-planting is part of our goal to create a green belt in Mamelodi that contributes towards clean air, local employment and food security.
What is a green belt?
Yes, a green belt is a level of accomplishment in karate, but it’s also an important greening strategy! At FTFA, a “green belt” is an area we steadily green through tree-plantings, ward by ward, school by school. By the time we move on to the next greening initiative, the area will be planted with enough indigenous and fruit trees to change the landscape to one teeming with life and biodiversity. It becomes a beautiful, healthy environment that anyone would be proud to live in.
Empowering communities
While many tree-planting initiatives focus only on planting trees, we believe in engaging, training and empowering community members at the same time. We teach them about the importance of urban greening for climate change, where and how to plant trees, and how to maintain those trees.
FTFA facilitators met with 15 community members to train them as community educators (CEs). We then employ these CEs to assist with the planting, care, monitoring and evaluation of the trees. Each CE has specific duties at the tree-planting event. Afterwards, they become responsible for helping their community to look after the trees in the long term. This can inspire greater environmental awareness within the community as our CEs share their knowledge and passion.
Inspiring pride in homes and communities
We distributed 750 indigenous trees sponsored by Ackermans (500 fruit, 250 shade) to 375 residents of Nelmapius, Mamelodi, on 13 September 2019. A further 20 trees were planted at Jan Kotlolo Primary School, which hosted the event.
Not only will repeated tree-plantings green Mamelodi, they will improve air quality and act as catalysts for socio-economic development. Research shows that there is a marked decrease in littering and dumping where trees have been planted. Residents in greener areas take greater pride in their homes and better care of their gardens.
Together with Ackermans, we’ve already planted 5 000 trees in 1 875 homes, reached 58 schools and trained 60 community members across South Africa. Just take a moment to imagine the impact of thousands of green belts in communities across South Africa.
Together, anything is possible.
