Farmer Package
Farmers in semi-arid Africa often own 10 to 20 acres of land. However, because they cannot afford high-quality seeds and agriculture inputs, these large tracts of land typically lie fallow.
With KOMAZA, farmers are given the opportunity to turn their unproductive land into a thriving tree farm, providing a sustainable source of income to invest in major life improvements.
We can help farmers overcome rural poverty and conserve their environment with just a half-acre of trees. An additional one acre of short term crops provides immediate food and income as the trees grow.
SHORT TERM CROPS
Provides an instant boost in nutrition and an immediate source of income.
Cowpeas
Known locally as Kunde, cowpeas are herbaceous legumes native to Africa, where they were domesticated centuries years ago. Consumed as green vegetables, cowpeas thrive in the semi-arid topics and are suitable for a variety of intercropping systems. One additional benefit of cultivating cowpeas is their ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen through their root systems, thereby enhancing soil fertility for future tree crops.
Green grams
Also known as mung beans or pojo, green grams are small, oval shaped legumes that grow well in dry, sandy soil. These drought-tolerant crops are native to India but are now commonly grown throughout the world.
LONG TERM CROPS
Restores degraded landscapes and offers unprecedented lump-sum payments when harvested.
Eucalyptus
As our signature tree crop, eucalyptus is a fast-growing, drought-resistant tree with extremely efficient conversion of soil nutrients and water to high-quality wood. When harvested, eucalyptus trees can be processed into high-value products such as sawn lumber and electricity poles. Learn more about how this improved variety of eucalyptus thrives in semi-arid environments.
Melia volkensii
Known locally as Mukau, Melia is a fast-growing, drought-resistant tree indigenous to Kenya. One of the major benefits of Melia is that it requires little maintenance and is extremely resistant to termites. When harvested, Melia can be processed as high-value timber for use in furniture and construction. Additionally, during pruning, the Melia leaf can be used as high-quality fodder for livestock; this is especially important during the dry season, when most vegetation has died.