SUMMER 2015

LUCAS AND PASLIDA TARIMU PLANT

TREES ON THEIR HILLSIDE PROPERTY
IN KOKIRIE, TANZANIA.

FEATURES
Plant For Tomorrow

The Unsung Heroes of Creation Care

DEPARTMENTS
Directors Corner
Breaking News
Village Spotlight: Panasawan, Thailand

2
6
7

RURAL FARMERS ARE

AT THE FOREFRONT OF

ENVIRONMENTAL
RESTORATION

ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS TO HUMANITARIAN PROBLEMS

DIRECTORS CORNER
ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS TO HUMANITARIAN PROBLEMS

THE SOWER ISSUE #108

FARMER ASSOCIATIONS WORK
TOGETHER TO PRODUCE EVEN
GREATER HARVESTS.

One thing that makes Plant

With Purpose unique is our
emphasis on finding a synergistic relationship between environmental restoration and economic development. People are often
skeptical when they hear this, as I was when I
began volunteering for the organization nearly 25 years ago. After all, you have to make a
choice, right? Will you help people or trees?
It turns out, you dont have to choose. Over
the past three decades, we have seen what
started as a theory practically demonstrated
again and again. Farmers prosper on hillsides
that are greener and more fruitful. Water
sources are restored. People are healthier
and wealthier. Children are in school.
We have also seen how Christian values such
as stewardship, reverence for the Creator, and
love for neighbor contribute to the cycle of restored land and restored lives. Transformed
hearts are a key piece of this virtuous cycle.
An important secondary impact of our work is
reconciliation, as people from different backgrounds and ethnicities work together for a
common goal. This effect became evident as
we began work on the border of Haiti and the
Dominican Republic. Years of violence and
misunderstanding prevailed along this troubled border, but tensions diminished as farmers worked together to restore their land.
In Burundi, the programs potential for reconciliation is even more apparent. Agricultural
and VSLA groups intentionally bring together Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa groups. They integrate
returning refugees with those who overtook
their land during the civil war.
The former governor of Rutana once told us
she saw more impact from our program than
from others solely focused on reconciliation.
As farmers worked side by side to plant cas2

sava, peace took root in Burundi. The governor memorably said, Cassava has no color.
Today I want to ask you to pray for Burundi,
which as of this writing, is in the midst of a
dangerous and rapidly changing political crisis. Violence in the capital has caused tens of
thousands to flee the country. Our programs
are interrupted and staff security is a growing
concern. Developments may extend the centralized violence to other parts of the country and our fledgling agricultural and VSLA
groups may be severely tested. Please pray
for these people, that their efforts at working together and understanding one another
would not be in vain. Please, please do not
give up on Burundi and please pray for peace.
***
Finally, in this issue of The Sower we introduce Plant ForTomorrow, a campaign to double our program impact. I am thrilled by the
reception it has received so far. I never would
have imagined the generosity of those rallying around this effort to touch more lives.
I am excited by the plans to work in new
countries with phenomenal opportunities to
make a difference in the Democratic Republic
of the Congo and Ethiopia. However, I am
even more motivated to see existing country programs scale up. Our work continues
to grow more cost effective as we deliver the
same quality of services with greater efficiency and scalability. I hope you will partner with
us as we share hope with even more people.
Thank you for restoring lives and land.

Scott Sabin
Executive Director

Plant With Purpose, a Christian nonprofit

organization, reverses deforestation and
poverty around the world by transforming the lives of the rural poor.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR:
Scott Sabin
scott@plantwithpurpose.org
DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR:
Doug Satre
doug@plantwithpurpose.org
MARKETING AND EVENTS:
Becky Rosaler
becky@plantwithpurpose.org

STAY CONNECTED:
4747 Morena Blvd. Suite 100
San Diego, CA 92117
Ph: 800.633.5319
Email: info@plantwithpurpose.org
Web: plantwithpurpose.org
Tw: @PlantWPurpose
Fb: facebook.com/PlantWithPurpose

EMAIL MEDIA@PLANTWITHPURPOSE.ORG
TO LEARN HOW YOU CAN:
Share your Plant With Purpose story
Host an event
Become a Plant With Purpose advocate

Leave a Legacy.Please consider including Plant With Purpose in your wills

and bequests. Contact Doug Satre:
doug@plantwithpurpose.org.

copyright 2015 Plant With Purpose

PLANTING
SEEDS TODAY

HELP US DOUBLE
OUR IMPACT BY
2017 AND PLANT
FOR TOMORROW

TO CHANGE FUTURES TOMORROW

TODAY

TOMORROW

Plant With Purpose currently partners with

130,000 adults and children in six countries
to transform despair into hope. More than 14
million trees have been planted, restoring watersheds and revitalizing the land. Abundant
crops are ending hunger. 800 communitybased savings groups in 406 villages are sowing seeds of financial security. Hundreds of
pastors and church leaders are being mobilized to address needs in their communities
and share Gods love.

Over the next two years we will double our impact by reaching 100,000 new people in 200
new communities and 2 new countries.

$200,000 NEEDED

$3.3 MILLION COMMITTED TO GLOBAL EXPANSION

JOIN US BY
PRAYING

INFLUENCING

GIVING

Pray for program staff as they scale up to impact more families. Pray also for the launch
of new country programs in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo and Ethiopia.

Host a home reception to tell friends and family about Plant With Purpose. Or share the Plant
For Tomorrow online campaign at plantwithpurpose.org via social media.

Program expansion is only possible with your

financial support. $3.3 million has already been
committed. Donate today to complete the $3.5
million Plant For Tomorrow campaign.

For more information or to donate, visit plantwithpurpose.org.

CAMPAIGN CO-CHAIRS BILL HOEHN AND CINDY OUTLAW

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

Ethiopia

The DRC suffers from extreme poverty and shocking environmental scars, the result of years of instability and conflict. Plant With
Purposes new country program will offer reconciliation and hope to
communities and former militants, while restoring and preserving
stunning wildlife habitat.

In Ethiopia, Plant With Purpose has the unique opportunity to partner

with the local church to preserve some of the last remaining native
forest in the country. These forests are irreplaceable treasures troves
of biodiversity but are seriously threatened by poverty and poor agricultural practices.

PLANTWITHPURPOSE.ORG

THE UNSUNG HEROES

OF CREATION CARE
RURAL FARMERS ARE AT THE FOREFRONT OF
ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION
BY BECKY ROSALER AND ANNELISE JOLLEY

The earth is theLords,and

everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
for He founded it on the seas
and established it on the waters.
Psalm 24:1-2

King Davids famous psalm praises the

Lord for His creation and His sovereignty
over it. God created an interdependent
planet in which species depend on other
organisms for life. Humans are no exception; our health is linked to the health of
natural resources. Nowhere is this interdependence more evident than in rural communities where people survive off what
they can grow. Though these communities
remain some of the poorest on earth, they
are at the forefront of restoring the earths
natural resources.
More than 30 years ago Tom Woodard,
Plant With Purposes founder, asked an inspired question: what if planting trees was
a solution to rural poverty, a solution that
would provide jobs, improve food security,
and restore the land? Since the first trees
were planted in the Dominican Republic,
farmers partnering with Plant With Purpose
have planted 14,348,505 trees across six
country programs. Tiny seeds have grown
to form Plant With Purposes holistic threepart development approach, with environmental restoration as a pillar.
As global environmental conditions worsen and reports of droughts, floods, famine,
4

and climate change increase, over 23,000

Plant With Purpose partnering families are
doing their part to make a positive impact
and heal the land.
Taking Davids psalm to heart, farmers in
Tanzania have set out to change the trajectory of their surroundings, including
the iconic Mt. Kilimanjaro. In 2012, Plant
With Purpose Tanzania developed a group
competition to inspire further good work
from program participants. As the competition evolves each year in scope, so does
its impact. Initially groups competed to
plant the most trees. The following year
groups worked to heal local water sources
through reforestation. In 2014, the competition encouraged farmers to use organic,
sustainable methods that would add to
the soil instead of stripping it of nutrients.
Plant With Purpose Tanzanias unique approach exemplifies the innovative way
rural communities are healing their land.
Inspired by competition, partners in Tanzania have seen an increase of nearly 1,000
percent in the number of trees planted
per family (2011 and 2014 Impact Evaluations*). As Country Director Richard Mhina
said, The competition concept motivates
people. It engages people as they are doing their weekly activities.

HEALING COMMUNITY LAND

Mungubariko Tarimo from Masia Mamba

speaks proudly of his farm and its produce, and with good reason. Cabbage and
other crops cover the hillside plot. When
you look at my farm today, I can tell you
that it didnt use to be like this, Mun-

gubariko says. There were no trees

here and no one in the community was
in the habit of planting trees. We didnt
do anything to conserve the soil and it
would wash away with the rain. The land
was degraded and snows from Kilimanjaro were melting and not returning.
Mungubariko encouraged participation
in the group competition. We learned
from Plant With Purpose the importance
of planting trees and that God cares
about the environment and we have a
responsibility to protect the environment. So we started the first tree nursery in this area. We also learned about
protecting the land with terracing, which
has reduced erosion and also allowed us
to grow a lot more crops. In just the last
few years we have planted over 13,000
trees in this area. We have fruit trees of
many kinds, and forest trees that grow
tall and protect the land.
Environmental restoration is taking
place not just on Mungubarikos farm
but across Masia Mamba. Even the
backdrop of the village has changed
as snows return to Mt. Kilimanjaro. He
says, The snow on the mountain was
almost gone before, but now it is starting to return and we know that if we continue planting trees it will be like before.
* Every three years Plant With Purpose
conducts an extensive impact evaluation to monitor program impact. Data
collected through household surveys
compares participating and nonparticipating households.

HEALING WATER SOURCES

Thanks to the group competition, partnering farmers now plant an average of 400
trees a year. With limited acreageaverage property size is 3.3 acres according
to the 2014 Impact Evaluationspersonal
farms quickly become saturated with vegetation. Participants in the annual competition have extended their impact to
reforesting Tanzanias sloped riverbeds.
These steep ravines are typically public
property and as groups have discovered,
theyre a great place to plant trees.
Farmers whose properties include water
sources are also reforesting river ravines.
On Lucas and Paslida Tarimus farm you
can find avocado, corn, coffee, lettuce
and tomatoes. Yet the most dramatic improvement to their farm did not come
from the variety of crops but rather the
2,000 trees planted along the steep slope
of their property. Many of these trees are
now more than thirty feet tall.
In the past the stream here was dry
and we had no way to get water, Lucas
remembers. We have seen the rains return and the land become more fruitful.
Now the stream runs year round and
the land has been protected. There are
also 3,000 people living in two villages
who depend on this stream. Now all of
us are benefiting.

HEALING FAMILY FARMS

Last years group competition emphasized organic farming methods and it

was only fitting that the competition
commenced with an organic agriculture festival. More than 3,000 people
attended and farmers from across the
Kilimanjaro region contributed their organic vegetables to the rich display of local produce.
Local government official Herman Kapufi
spoke at the festival sharing, It is high
time for our farmers to embark on the
type of farming which is friendly to the
environment. Environmental degradation contributes to poverty so people
need to change the way they do things.
We believe that agribusiness will address
poverty, and hence we need to use small
pieces of land to get high productivity.
Plant With Purpose partnering farmers
cultivate plots that integrate beneficial plants, increasing crop yields and
improving pest management. Agroforestry training encourages the integration of planting trees, raising livestock,
and growing vegetables in biointensive
double dug gardens. As partnering
farmers learn to make both compost
and organic pesticides from resources
on hand, their health and the health of
their farms increases.

Partnering farmers are cultivating bananas, vegetables, coffee, sweet potatoes, and
cassava at a higher rate than comparison
households (2014 Impact Evaluations). In
fact, their crops are 42 percent more diverse than those of nonparticipants. This
crop diversity, along with organic farming methods, heals the land they depend
on for survival. By cultivating healthy and
organic family farms, they are restoring
natural resources like soil and inspiring
neighboring communities to do the same.

FORCES OF CHANGE

As farming families restore Tanzanias natural resources, positive stories abound.

Stories of birds returning to the area speak
of increasing biodiversity. Stabilized microclimates are more conducive for plant
growth. Trees planted in ravines allow water to soak into the soil and refresh streams.
As rural farmers embrace their calling to
care for creationand in Tanzanias case
use competition to drive creation carethe
environment is being restored. The activities of planting trees and farming sustainably are core to Plant With Purposes global
program. But they arent only activities;
they are forces of change, creating a positive impact on the earth while reversing
the cycle of rural poverty. Truly, these farmers affirm in word and action the earth is
theLords,and everything in it.

GROUP COMPETITION BY THE NUMBERS

135

groups participated in the 2014 group competition

134

tree nurseries established by participating

groups

413

trees planted per partnering family in 2014,

on average

5 MILLION

trees planted by Plant With PurposeTanzania

since 2004

3,000

attendees at the group competition agriculture festival

4 GOATS

awarded to the winning team in addition to

farming equipment, t-shirts, certificates, solar lights, and a farming study tour

PLANTWITHPURPOSE.ORG

PLANTING HOPE GALA

PLANT FOR GENERATIONS TO COME

SAVE THE DATE!

THE 2015 PLANTING HOPE GALA IS TAKING PLACE ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3.
We are excited to announce a new location: Omni La Costa Resort
and Spa. The evening includes:

Mediterranean-inspired resort location in San Diegos North County

Complimentary valet parking

Cocktail reception and exquisite three-course dinner

Opportunities to support the work of Plant With Purpose through silent, live, and
fund-a-need auctions and an opportunity drawing

Inspiring stories of planting hope for generations to come

We are currently procuring items

such as vacation retreats, gift
certificates, and unique products
for our silent and live auctions.
Contact gala@plantwithpurpose.org
if you have an item to donate.

Proceeds go toward empowering the rural poor to improve their lives and land.

BREAKING NEWS

RESTORATION AT WORK

JOIN ROOT 7

Once a quarter we invite you to join us

at the San Diego office for an update on
field programs and how lives and land
are being restored. Set aside the following Thursday evenings from 5:30-7:00 pm:
June 18, September 10, and December 10.

$7 plants 7 trees across 7 countries every month. When you join Root 7, youre
doing more than putting trees in the
ground. Youre planting healing, opportunity, and hope for a better future. Trees
restore the environment, clean the wa-

ter, nourish the soil, protect farms from

erosion, and provide a source of income
and food for farming families. In short,
trees are life to the rural poor.

VILLAGE SPOTLIGHT:
PANASAWAN, THAILAND
BY MELISSA COY, Development Assistant

KHAMSEE AND NANIO

PAWSANG WITH THEIR
CHICKENS AT THEIR
HOME IN PANASAWAN.

Thailand is a well-known tourist destination,

rich with cultural experiences and
picturesque views, but the outskirts of
the Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai provinces
tell a different story. This northern region

Panasawan is a Plant With Purpose partnering community in the Chiang Rai province. It
is home to Khamsee Pawsang, a 52-year-old
farmer who is determined to break the cycle of
poverty and environmental damage through
the simple act of planting trees.

of Thailand is home to people who fled

the civil strife of Myanmar to take refuge
in the hillsides. Although they have
lived in these hills for decades, the Thai
government does not recognize them or
grant them citizenship. Without citizenship,
these ethnic minorities are vulnerable to
oppression and exploitation. They lack land
rights and can be displaced at any time.
This uncertainty and lack of protection
discourages farmers from investing in their
land, which in turn keeps them entrenched
in poverty.

led Khamsee to become an environmental

restoration advocate on Panasawans village
committee. Agroforestry is now implemented across Panasawan and a community
agroforestry plot is accessible to everyone.

Before partnering with Plant With Purpose,

Khamsee had no knowledge of sustainable
farming techniques and was struggling to provide enough food for his family. He began attending Plant With Purpose agricultural workshops and was introduced to agroforestrya
farming method that involves planting trees
around and among crops.

Khamsee views sharing his farming knowledge with others as an act of love. I know
that God helps my family and I love to share
things with other people. God loves me so
I must love others, he says. Although the
people of Panasawan have experienced
great strife and persecution, they are discovering their God-given dignity by planting hope.

The act of planting trees on his farm was transformative. Khamsees crops began to flourish,
and now he has such an excess of harvest that
he and his family are able to sell produce at local markets for income. These improvements

For just $1 a day you can partner with a

community like Panasawan to help meet
vital needs. Fill out the enclosed envelope or visit:
plantwithpurpose.org/sponsor-a-village.

BREAKING NEWS CONTINUED

RECEIVE THE SOWER BY EMAIL

UPCOMING VISION TRIPS

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC:

If you would like to receiveThe Sower by email

and conserve paper, please send an email to
info@plantwithpurpose.org with your name
and current email address under the subject of
eSower. Or simply follow the steps on the enclosed envelope.

If you havent visited one of Plant With

Purposes programs, wed love for you to
travel with us. Additional trips for 2015
are in the works. Contact Doug Satre for
more information:
doug@plantwithpurpose.org.

July 13-18 & July 26-31

MEXICO:
August 23-28

PLANTWITHPURPOSE.ORG

Plant With Purpose

4747 Morena Blvd. Suite 100
San Diego, CA 92117

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GROW WITH US.

Information inside.

FOR FARMING FAMILIES, TREES

PROVIDE A SOURCE OF INCOME
WHILE RESTORING THE LAND.

FINANCIAL SECURITY IS A REALITY

FOR THESE GIRLS GROWING UP
IN MAIZAL, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
THANKS TO THE HARVEST OF COCOA.

PLANTING HOPE FOR GENERATIONS TO COME