Pasihan is standing in his field, examining one of the trees he planted there barely a year ago. It is a hot and humid morning in Borneo. In the background, thousands of birds and insects make the characteristic sounds of the Indonesian rainforest. The smallholder sweeps a hand over the trunk and examines the condition of the bark. Pasihan nods with satisfaction. He is proud of how fast his trees are growing.

A few years ago, this place would have looked very different. It was not until 2021 that the smallholder, together with other farmers in the village of Jangkit, decided to participate in the 100 Million Trees project of Fairventures Worldwide, a non-profit organisation based in Stuttgart, Germany. Since then, he has been planting Sengon in his field. Already, some of his trees tower over him significantly. "For us farmers," Pasihan tells us, "this is an exciting experiment." It's the first time smallholders have grown Sengon in Jangkit, he says. Now he recognizes the benefits of the fast-growing tree species. "The uniqueness of Sengon for me is that it allows intercropping," Pasihan explains. His field grows durian trees and guava plants, among others, as well as banana perennials. This allows the smallholder to generate short- and medium-term income, while his trees grow larger week by week.

The 100 Million Trees project aims to counteract climate change and empower smallholder farmers. It was launched in 2020 as the successor to One Million Trees, a project that saw the successful planting of 1 million seedlings in Borneo, and that it is based on a holistic approach: 

Fairventures build long-term relationships with local communities and conduct so-called Farmer Field Schools, where the experiences and knowledge of smallholder farmers are supplemented with knowledge from expert foresters. Afterwards, thousands of seedlings are distributed to smallholder farmers free of charge for the planting season. This results in sustainable forests from timber and also food crops, which provide farmers with a secure income, help to preserve biodiversity and counteract climate change.

Already now – about a year after the start of the project in Jangkit – Pasihan has observed positive changes in his community. He and the other smallholders have gained a lot of knowledge and now have a better understanding of agriculture and climate protection. This gives them courage in the face of advancing deforestation. "We see here," Pasihan reports, "that our natural forests are threatened with extinction." There are many reasons for this, including logging, palm oil plantations, illegal gold mining and devastating forest fires. That's why it's so enormously important to plant trees, Pasihan concludes. 

"Trees capture all of the poison in the air. They guard and protect us. And more importantly –" Pasihan points to his two sons playing among the banana trees – "we can pass them on to our descendants in the future." Although the boys are still too young to work in the field, they are already interested in their dad's work. This becomes clear when Pasihan shows them how to care for a young durian plant. Attentively, the two follow their father's every move. "I hope this plant grows magnificently. In a few years, you two will be able to taste the result of our work," says the farmer.

The climate crisis poses numerous challenges for smallholder farmers in Borneo. But Pasihan's story shows that it is worth looking to the future with hope. Just like his sons, the trees and plants in Pasihan's field will continue to grow in the years to come. And with each new seedling, the smallholder farmer plants another piece of future.

Let's leave a healthy planet for the next generation. Plant a tree today!

This story is originally from Fairventures Worldwide 

Text by: Tobias Schäfer, Jojon Surianata, Nina Nina

Fairventures Worldwide is a non-profit organization based in Stuttgart, Germany. We combine forestry and modern technologies to reforest degraded areas in the tropics. In cooperation with smallholder farmers in Indonesia and Uganda, we create sustainable forests from timber and food crops. These provide local people with a secure income, help to preserve biodiversity and counteract climate change.

The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030, led by the United Nations Environment Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and partners, covers terrestrial as well as coastal and marine ecosystems. As global call to action, it will draw together political support, scientific research and financial muscle to massively scale up restoration. Find out how you can contribute to the UN Decade. Follow #GenerationRestoration.