500,000 Fruit Trees to celebrate 50 years of Earth Day

Dehradun : He who plants a tree, plants hope. And in these times of COVID-19, when there’s despair and uncertainty about the future, vowing to plant trees is what the world needs. As April 22, 2020 marks Earth Day’s 50th anniversary, United States-based reforestation non-profit One Tree Planted has committed to helping plant 500,000fruit trees across India during the monsoon planting season this year.

These trees will be planted in the land of marginal and small farmers in India. For these families, fruit trees will not only mean nourishment without spending a paisa, the harvest can also provide supplementary income for a positive social and economic impact. At a time when a number of migrant labourers returning to their native villages is a harsh reality, fast-fruiting trees, such as banana and papaya, can keep hunger at bay.

Moringa, papaya, and banana trees can produce food and fruit within 8-10 months of planting. Lemon, guava, apricot, pear, peach, and jujubes produce fruit in their third year and onward. The long-term benefit is immense. Each tree provides a minimum of 1000 Rupees  of fruit and nutrition per year, half a million fruit trees translate into Rs 50 crore worth of fruit and nutrition, year after year for the next 50-60 years.

Beyond the nutritional and social benefits of reforestation with fruit trees, this project will support cleaner air and help reduce the effects of climate change. Statistically, India’s air quality is among the lowest in the world, leading to pollution and health issues among the population.

The planting and nurturing of the fruit trees will be executed by local partners at Sustainable Green Initiative, with whom One Tree Planted has already planted over 300,000 trees throughout India.

Reforestation will begin as early as June, 2020, just in time for World Environment Day on June 5th, and will take place in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Odisha with local community involvement.