Trees can help people in many different ways; they help facilitate water, they provide shelter and warmth, food and nutrition and can also provide a valuable income. At SCAD we are planting trees for all of these things. SCAD help farmers with their irrigation systems, especially helping them to perform drip irrigation, which enables the trees to grow in this harsh, almost desert, climate.

Good trees can also provide an income for their timber as long as there is a way of making sure that they can be re planted. The people of Tamil Nadu have been experiencing the effects of climate change for many years now, with prolonged droughts, erratic monsoons and the resultant food security fears.

Food prices run at about 30% inflation throughout the state and one way we have countered this problem is by encouraging villagers to grow organic kitchen gardens. Villagers attend courses organised by the women’s self-help groups on vegetable and tree growing and composting. They learn how to conserve their precious resources, such as by harvesting grey water. Every year thousands of packets of seeds, purchased by SCAD, are sold for small amounts of money; those who can’t afford to pay are given some for free. Kitchen gardens can save a family up to INR200 ($4) a month.

Trees and plants are very connected to peoples’ lives and livelihoods in Tamil Nadu. Cletus Babu says “you can’t just take a tree as a separate thing from life… it could save the whole of humanity. That is my belief.” Please help us to do our part to be able to help humanity and protect the environment. $12 a month can plant 10 trees a month.