All our projects

Ghana

In North-Ghana, we have been working since 2021 to restore riparian forests and improve the environment by planting trees. We are doing this in the Bongo district, together with local people and our partners Tree Aid and Blue Deal.

Status: Current project

Agroforestry and restoration riparian forests

Bongo district is one of the driest regions in northern Ghana. Most people here live from agriculture and livestock. In the area you also find the Vea dam: a crucial water source on which thousands of people depend for their drinking water or water for agriculture.

The riparian forests that once grew along the dam have largely disappeared over the years. Combined with climate change, this deforestation is causing erosion: fertile soil is becoming polluted, washed away and the lake around the Vea dam is slowly silting up. Many harvests also fail due to long periods of drought or heavy flooding, leading to even more poverty and food shortages.

Together with Tree Aid, Blue Deal and the local population, we therefore plant trees to restore the riparian forest. We also introduce agroforestry: a combination of trees and agriculture that provides more food and income. In this way we are step by step improving the living conditions for and with the people in Ghana.

Participate in our forest projects

How often would you like to plant?

Once
Monthly

How many trees would you like to plant?

1
€5
Donate 1 tree
Enter a number
2
€10
Donate 2 trees
Enter a number
3
€15
Donate 3 trees
Enter a number
4
€20
Donate 4 trees
Enter a number
10
€50
Donate 10 trees
Enter a number
€0
Choose your own number
Enter a number

You will be kept informed about your trees with Track & Trees.
You will receive an invitation to plant your own trees during a tree planting day.
You will (optionally) receive a mailbox tree. We get trees from you, you get a tree from us!

The project in numbers

0

trees

0

farmers get agroforestry training

0

people benefit from the project

0 − 0

planting period

What we already achieved

Between 2021 en 2024 we’ve planted 215.000 trees together with our local partners and communities.
Part of the trees grow along the riverbanks of the Vea Dam to prevent erosion. Trees effectively hold the soil together, prevent (fertile) soil from being washed away, and ensure that water can penetrate the soil more effectively.
In addition, we’ve helped farming families to introduce sustainable agroforestry. Around 400 farmers have received training in planting food-bearing trees, such as mango and cashew.
The planted trees provide extra food for the families themselves or to sell at the local market. A great source of extra income!
Finally, the trees provide more shade and help create fertile soil, thereby enabling sustainable agriculture. A sustainable alternative to conventional farming methods, which actually further deplete the soil.
In the coming years, we’ll focus on protecting existing tree plantings. In addition, we’ll plant 35,000 new trees to help more people get started with agroforestry.

The next step: additional protection and 35,000 new trees

Planting, but especially keeping trees alive, is quite a challenge in North-Ghana. Water is limited, land-use rules are complex and there are many cattle walking around who like to snack on young trees. We have therefore taken several measures in recent years to deal with this as best we can.

In the coming years, between 2025 and 2031, we will continue with the project. Together with Tree Aid and Blue Deal, we focus (even more) on monitoring and protecting the trees. We are also supporting the communities with the planting of another 35,000 trees for agroforsestry. A large proportion of farmers is already applying agroforestry; we hope to see more of them in the coming years. In the video below, Joshua, one of the participating farmers, explains what the planting means to him.

Met omheiningen en muurtjes worden de bomen beschermd tegen rondlopend vee.

For and with people of North-Ghana

Without the commitment of the local people, it would not be possible to make this project a success. Luckily, during previous project visits we have experienced that the people are very dedicated and committed to planting trees. A local field technician has been appointed to support the people in everything involved in the project: growing the trees, planting and caring for them.

The communities also take care of protecting the trees. They have built special walls of mud or stones around the young trees that keep hungry cattle away and protect the plantings from drought.

In this video, Joshua explains what the project means to him and the people in the region.

Updates from Ghana

New life in an extremely dry region: 215,000 trees planted in Ghana

Since 2021 Trees for All has been dedicated to planting trees in Northern Ghana. A challenging mission in a region where water is scarce and in which many families live in poverty. Working together with local communities and our partners Tree Aid Ghana, Tree Aid UK en Blue Deal, we…

Read the story

Learning and adjusting in Ghana: this is how we do that

Planting forests is not a simple matter. In order to make impact, we need to learn from setbacks and make adjustments where necessary. This is what we are doing in Ghana, where the young planting is suffering due to drought and free-ranging goats. Why we plant trees in Ghana…

Read the story

The planting location

The planting will take place in the area around Vea Dam, in Ghana’s Bongo district. Some trees will be planted along the Vea dam, while others will be planted on farmers’ land and around families’ houses.

Our partners

Within this project, we are working with our partners Tree Aid and Blue Deal. Tree Aid is committed to tackling poverty and the effects of climate change together with local communities. To do this, the NGO has appointed an experienced and dedicated team to coordinate project activities in North-Ghana.

Blue Deal is a program from Dutch Water Authorities and the Dutch Ministries of Foreign Affairs and of Infrastructure and Water Management. The aim: to provide access to sufficient, clean and safe water to 20 million people in 2030. With this project we actively contribute to this aim.