Copyright Eden Foundation 2008

Dressed up and showing his new watch, Saadu poses between his Eden trees in the heart of the Tanout department: trees that he has sown himself and that are now generating an important income for his family.

Trees in Niger are an asset, and fruiting trees even more so. Eden has an extensive social documentation in the are that we work in, and it has been my great joy over the years to see the living standards rise - in the least developed area in the least developed country in the world, a place where agricultural experts would claim that man cannot survive from the land as the rainfall is too low. I would not be surprised however if these tree-sowing pioneers in a generation or two be will be way richer than people most, because they have found something that gives them hope: a solution that is totally adapted to their means and needs and which is allowing them to lead a more sustainable life by the day. No one tells the Eden farmers what to do with the money they earn or how to invest it. No one tells the Eden farmers how to live their lives. We are not here to influence the population into changing their culture, but to offer them the means that will enable them to lead a sustainable life. Eden’s solution is simple. We offer drought tolerant seeds to motivated farmers, seeds of species that will give food even in times of needs. We give advice on preventive health in all our villages, which has reduced child mortality in our villages considerably (for reference, see the Eden Think Tank article When Malnutrition is Labeled as Famine). And then we watch how they take matters into their own hands and start finding solutions with the means that they now have available to them, means that come from the trees they have sown on their fields.

I am proud of the Eden farmers and I am full of expectations to see what lives their children will be leading… I end with a quote from Salamatu Baraka, whose family started working with Eden eleven years ago:

“I’m so happy when you come to visit me! I am very pleased with the produce we get from the seeds you have given us. We eat the fruits and use some of the branches to make mats, ropes and things like that. This takes us through a lot of difficulties. I often show others what we are getting through Eden, so that they will understand the benefits. I tell them to follow your instructions so that we in our village will reach a high level of productivity. Direct seeding is a successful way of establishing plants in our area, and if you just bring us more seeds, we will do our best to sow them!”

Salamatu Baraka - Copyright Eden Foundation 2005