Nicaragua is a country severely affected by deforestation. Today, only 27% of the country's total area is covered by forest, making it one of the most deforested countries in Central America. As much as 40% of the country's land is used for agriculture, with livestock and coffee plantations being the main exports for many years. At the same time, coffee is a highly sensitive crop and is therefore severely affected by climate change.

The CommuniTree project started in 2010 and is based on agroforestry practices. Smallholder farmers who own land previously affected by deforestation are given the chance to participate in the project and contribute to reforestation. More than 4,000 families are involved in the project, spread across 1,477 towns and villages nationwide.

CommuniTree is the largest reforestation project in the country and won the Rainforest Alliance Eco-Index Award in 2015. In one year, over five million trees are planted, and since its inception, over USD 33 million and 173 local full-time jobs have been generated for local participants. The project has been particularly successful in scaling up, restoring nearly 15 thousand hectares of forest in total.

Reforestation not only improves soil conditions, it also provides shade for the crops that need it, reduces erosion and binds nutrients and water in the soil. Project participants are witnessing that wells that were previously dry are now abundantly filled. In the long term, therefore, the smallholders' land value increases and the trees yield a return as those that are thinned can be used to produce wood products that can be sold in local markets. As in all Plan Vivo projects, 60% of the revenue goes directly to the smallholders.

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Se en film om CommuniTree projektet