3:1 for SALEM-Togo! The German Government supports our plans for a new tree nursery!

Our proposed project will be a model for the entire region of Bassar in Togo. SALEM-Togo is already highly esteemed for its practical training seminars in Natural Medicine and Sustainable Forestry. And in its relatively small tree nursery (500 m2) SALEM-Togo already has a wide range of valuable and mostly indigenous trees.

The local population is so convinced of by this work that the village of Baghan with its population of 7,000 has made 30 hectares of land available for the project. On this land SALEM-Togo will now establish a demonstration nursery for forest trees and a training centre. In this way several roots of poverty will be tackled simultaneously.
Between 1990 and 2005, within only 15 years, half the forests in Togo were cleared, leaving less then 10 per cent of the country wooded today. SALEM-Togo, however is a centre of excellence to help improve this situation.

Instead of burning the karité tree (Butyrospermum parkii) to produce charcoal, shea butter can be extracted from the nuts and used for skin care or sold. Sweet Annie (Artemisia annua) successfully treats malaria. And a forest that is not destroyed for either charcoal or agriculture provides long-term benefits for the entire population. For these reasons the project leader, Gbati Nikabou, already receives visits from many people seeking his advice on ecological agroforestry. Because it pays!

The photographs: A rich, green landscape not only brings joy to the heart but is also the source of life for all people. Take a close look, there are two before and after comparisons, between which there is an interval of only six years.

The German government supports us, the local population supports us, please, will you also support us ? We will certainly keep you informed as to how the project develops, and also via our newsletter to which you may like to subscribe

Thank you very much!