Every restoration project begins with people.

In southeastern Senegal, agroforestry is not an abstract climate solution, it’s a daily practice shaped by farmers, coordinators, and women’s groups who are enhancing their land and livelihoods at the same time. Through veritree’s agroforestry project, families are moving away from monocropping systems that left soils depleted and incomes uncertain, and toward diversified farms that provide food, income, and year-round resilience.

During our most recent visit to Senegal, we spent time with the people making this work possible. These stories offer a closer look at the human side of restoration and the social impact unfolding alongside ecosystem recovery.

Below are four voices from the project, each showing a different dimension of what restoration looks like when it’s rooted in community.

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Staying Home to Grow a Future

Amadou Bibi Diallo – Project Coordinator, Samba Naar

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Before joining the agroforestry project, Amadou Bibi Diallo often had to leave his village during the dry season to find work in the dangerous and exhausting gold mining industry, spending months away from his family just to make ends meet. Sometimes, Amadou would hear about his children being ill or having nothing to eat at home, while being unable to help due to the distance. Today, he cultivates fruit trees that provide food and income for his household without having to be separated from his family.

“Thanks to the project, I cultivate guava, mango, and lemon. This lets me stay and work locally, so I don’t have to go elsewhere anymore,” Amadou shared. “Each harvest enables us to sell part of the produce in order to purchase educational supplies for our children.”

Now, his focus is on expanding opportunities for others in the community, especially women, so they can earn income year-round and keep their children in school.

“My wish is that the women of the village receive assistance to engage extensively and profitably in large-scale vegetable cultivation,” he said.

Amadou’s story reflects how veritree’s work in Senegal is helping create lasting roots of stability and hope.

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Growing Hope, One Tree at a Time

Madi Dansokho – Farmer, Samekouta

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For years, Madi Dansokho worked tirelessly to make ends meet through traditional farming, supporting his large family with few resources and no irrigation tools. But after joining the agroforestry project, he began to see change take root.

“Through my collaboration with the project, I gained experience by following their advice,” Madi said.

Despite his age, Madi continues to tend his trees with pride and determination. He cultivates crops that have brought both stability and optimism to his household.

“With those mango trees, little by little, things took off!” shared Madi.

“All of this is thanks to the project that supported me, and my future depends on it. It’s a project that helps people without means to work.”

Madi’s story shows how, with the right support and determination, smallholder farmers can build resilience through restoration.

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Rooted in Collaboration

Fatimata Binta Diallo – Savings Group Leader, Missira Bakawka

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In Missira Bakawka, agroforestry is also a pathway to women’s leadership and financial independence.

As leader of the women’s savings group Xalaldi Fotti, Fatimata Binta Diallo oversees seven women’s groups that manage a shared garden, feeding dozens of families and sustaining a growing local economy. With fencing, tools, and training provided through the project, these gardens now grow vegetables like okra, cabbage, onions, carrots, and moringa, feeding families and generating income within the village.

“Today, I don’t go to Salemata to get food. We have everything in our garden, we live from it, sell it, and enjoy it,” Fatimata shared.

Beyond food security, the garden supports a growing local economy through savings clubs that help women reinvest in their farms and households. Fatimata’s story highlights how restoration projects can strengthen collaboration, leadership, and community resilience.

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Growing Together, Growing Strong

Mariama Kante – Member, Xaaldi Potti Association

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Mariama Kante is part of the women-led Xaaldi Potti association, where members practice market gardening to support their families and contribute to a shared savings fund.

By cultivating crops like eggplant, peanuts, chili peppers, moringa, and beans, Mariama and her peers are seeing tangible results.

“We earned enough to cover our weekly contributions. We were able to pay our children’s school fees and manage the family’s daily meals.”

Looking ahead, Mariama hopes to expand into fruit cultivation and help more women gain independence through agriculture. Her experience underscores how collective action and the right infrastructure can turn small-scale farming into long-term opportunity.

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Restoration That Reaches Beyond the Land

At veritree, restoration is about more than planting trees. It’s about understanding what’s happening on the ground, measuring progress transparently, and supporting the people who make long-term impact possible.

These are the people behind the restoration in Senegal, and their work is just getting started.

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