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Contents
Page 2 : Chairman’s Message Page 3 : Our Vision and Mission Page 4-7 : Highlights 2022 Page 8-9 : A Journey into Agroforestry Page 10 : Financial Summary Page 11-12: Financial Statement Page 14 : References and Administration Page 15: Thank you and Declaration
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Registered Charity England No. 1134720 - www.plantyourfuture.org.uk
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Jenny pic
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Chairman's Message
We continued to scale-up significantly in 2022, with our biggest growth area being in degraded cattle ranches, bringing trees back into a landscape which has been deforested pasture for many years. With a successful increase in our fundraising we were able to work in new Amazonian communities, allowing new families to start the journey of restoring their deforested and degraded smallholdings.
At the start of 2022 we worked with 63 families, and by the end of the year we had 139 families in our programme. We were able to equip new families with the resources and know-how needed to start restoring their farms to forest, and build their capabilities to manage their land using sustainable farming and agroforestry. We also continued to accompany farmers already in our programme as their trees grow, following the learning-by-doing principles which have always been at the heart of our approach.
With travel restrictions finally lifted post-Covid, I was delighted to have the opportunity to spend four months in the Amazon working with our Peruvian team in person during 2022. With the expansion of our operations we’ve grown the size of our technical and tree nursery teams in both Loreto and Ucayali, and it was great to have the chance to spend time with them and co-develop the new systems needed for our growing organisation.
We planted 156,380 trees in 2022 and we’re immensely proud of that achievement, and all that was involved logistically to deliver this step-change in our planting. Moreover, all those trees were grown from seed in our community-run tree nurseries, building new skills and the growth of green economy jobs for local people, especially women. But ‘number of trees planted’ has always been just one of many metrics of success for us. Our work is much more than that. Planting a tree is just the start of the journey to help smallholders farmers to become regenerative farmers, and to ensure their agroforestry systems not only survive but thrive. With many more young trees to maintain than before planted in 2021, our work in 2022 also involved working with the farmers already in the programme, teaching them how to prune their trees effectively, control pests and fertilise orchard species.
Another highlight for the year was featuring as a charity for the BBC Radio 4 Appeal – we’re extremely proud to have been chosen and to have had our Appeal read by celebrity gardener Frances Tophill, and are delighted with the impressive total we raised.
During my time in Peru I was able to recruit local forestry graduates into our team and train them in carbon measurement protocols. This enabled them to carry-out a full monitoring event, measuring a sample of the circumference of the trees growing, to quantify and calculate the carbon dioxide taken out of the atmosphere and stored in the trees grown in the project. This forms part of the certification under the Verified Carbon Standard. Selling carbon offsets is an important part of the economic incentive for the smallholder farmers in adopting and maintaining their agroforestry systems – they get paid for the ecosystem service they are providing to the global climate, and can help tip the balance towards them joining our project.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all our donors for their support – from our loyal long-term donors to our new supporters. Your generosity has enabled the expansion of our impact. It is a critical time for ecosystem restoration and conservation in the Amazon Basin - both to help mitigate climate change and also build the resilience of the smallholders in adapting to climate impacts. It is appreciated by me personally, by our teams on the ground, and by the smallholder families we work with, whose lives you are helping to transform.
Best wishes,
Jenny Henman
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Registered Charity England No. 1134720 - www.plantyourfuture.org.uk
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Our Vision
& Mission
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OUR VISION: Thriving communities in a restored Amazon.
OUR MISSION: To champion community-led climate action through sustainable farming and native species reforestation.
Since 2009, Plant Your Future has been working to restore the Western Arc of the Amazon Rainforest, which stretches across the regions of Loreto and Ucayali in north-eastern Peru. It is one of the most biodiverse places on Earth and of critical importance for conservation.
Traditional slash-and-burn agriculture is responsible for about 90% of deforestation in these regions, destroying biodiversity and contributing to climate change. It also traps people in a cycle of poverty; typically, families earn just £100 per month from their small farms, barely enough to cover basic needs, leaving them vulnerable to crisis. By empowering low-income communities, we enable them to transition from unsustainable and destructive agriculture to environmentally-friendly agroforestry. This treebased agriculture system combines planting crops, fruit-bearing orchard trees, and timber trees.
Through this progressive way of farming, communities can reduce deforestation, protect biodiversity, and mitigate climate change. At the same time, improving their livelihoods and increasing food security. In 2015 our project achieved certification by independent auditors Rainforest Alliance under the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standard (CCBS) in recognition that we have achieved the highest standards in carbon offset project design addressing issues around climate, community and biodiversity.
To date, we have planted over 83,340 native trees on 85 hectares of degraded land in 16 communities across two regions of the Amazon.
Every part of our project includes training for the families we work with, including workshops and farmer field schools that use the ‘learning-bydoing’ approach. Our expert team of foresters and agronomists work on the ground with communities and establish best-practice strategies to restore the land – increasing biodiversity and mitigate climate change. This practical, hands-on training enables communities to gain the knowledge, skills, and confidence to transition away from further deforestation. They are empowered to restore and protect the rainforest into the future.
Where we work
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Registered Charity England No. 1134720 - www.plantyourfuture.org.uk
2022[Highlights]
156,380
This year we planted an incredible 156,380 native trees across 129 hectares of the deforested Peruvian Amazon.
Trees planted
129 hectares reforested
Our operations have generated hundreds of 'Green Economy' jobs, imparting essential skills in environmental sustainability to the communities where we operate, and strengthening overall employability.
This supports the rehabilitation of natural habitats and biodiversity as well as being essential for climate change mitigation.
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Jobs created
520
local people trained
Nursery staff and technical teams receive hands-on technical training, while smallholder families are trained in best-practice agricultural techniques through our tailored programme of farmschools and workshops.
This season we supported 80 new smallholder families to transition away from destructive agricultural practices by implementing sustainable agroforestry models on their lands.
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new smallholder partners welcomed into our programme
Reinstated habitats for
Our reforestation efforts have created wildlife corridors and enhanced local biodiversity by replanting crucial habitat for threatened animal species that are unable to thrive in pasture areas.
104
6 animal species endangered species protected
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Registered Charity England No. 1134720 - www.plantyourfuture.org.uk
Above: Jenny Henman and Loreto farmers, July 2022
BBC Radio 4 Appeal to raise funds to build an Amazonian Seed Bank
We were honoured to be selected for the prestigious Radio 4 Charity Appeal, read by the highly respected gardener and botanist Frances Tophill, and by the subsequent outpouring of support following our broadcast in July 2022.
We raised over £27,311 through cheques, telephone and online donations. This money will go directly towards the construction of our new Amazonian native seed bank. If you didn’t have the chance to hear or would like a recap on our heartfelt Appeal, please take a moment to give it a listen here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0019jtp.
Since the Appeal we have been planning for the construction of our new, first-of-its-kind Amazonian Seed Bank with the expert help of our new trustee Dr Toby Parkes. Toby previously worked at the Millennium Seed Bank during his PhD studies, and we are thrilled to benefit from his thought leadership to adapt technologies used there to a more grassroots and rural setting. This seed bank will not only be crucial in supplying quality seed for our scale-up in reforestation over the coming years, but also help in the preservation of rare and increasingly endangered species of trees, critical to the biodiversity and health of the Amazon Rainforest.
Francis Tophill – raising money to build a Seed Bank.
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Registered Charity England No. 1134720 - www.plantyourfuture.org.uk
Silvopastoral systems to bring trees back onto cattle ranches
In June 2022 we hosted a visit from Dr Lucy Dablin, a researcher with the Open University, who focuses her research on sustainable cattle farming and silvopastoral systems in the Amazon. Lucy visited smallholders’ cattle ranches in Ucayali and Huánuco to understand their current ranching practices and to discuss a new silvopastoral reforestation model we could trial. Farmers were very receptive, and we had strong participation and interest during two separate workshops held in Semuya and Nueva Esperanza.
What are silvopastural systems and why are farmers interested in trying them? The main farming activity in Ucayali which has led to the rainforest being cleared is cattle ranching, and large areas of pastureland are kept as grass to support very low-income cattle grazing. Sadly it doesn't generate much income for families, but culturally, cattle are important to families as a source of money which they can monetise in an emergency situation: they can sell a cow to immediately access cash if their son or daughter needs urgent medical care.
Building on the experience and recommendations of Dr Lucy Dablin as well as the preferences and input from the smallholders, we have co-designed a new model to reforest in areas where cattle graze. This silvopastoral model involves planting nitrogen fixing guaba (Inga edulis) in rows across degraded and compacted pasturelands. For the first year, the cows will be fenced out while the young trees grow. After one year, the cows can return and the trees will not only provide much needed shade and cooling for the livestock, but also provide fodder to supplement their diets . Currently, cattle ranching is very extensive and its productivity is low. We're hoping this new model will allow for greater reforestation over time, and will condense current ranching activities to a smaller footprint. We look forward to reporting back on our pilot in next year’s report.
With ranching being a major driver of deforestation and a continued cause of degradation on the farms, we consider working with families to improve their grazing practises to be critically important. The silvopastoral system will bring native trees back into pastures where cattle graze, benefit the cattle, as well as increase carbon storage on the land itself.
Photo: Dr Lucy Dablin, Open University, consulting with Plant your Future farmers in Nueva Esperanza, Ucayali
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Registered Charity England No. 1134720 - www.plantyourfuture.org.uk
Above: Lizenka Villacorta and Carlos Regalado measuring biomass to estimate carbon storage
Measuring carbon storage
During the summer of 2022 Jenny Henman, our founder and carbon expert, trained up a team of professionals to carry out a carbon stock inventory.
This measurement campaign determined how much carbon dioxide has been taken out of the atmosphere and is stored in the trees grown by our smallholder partners to-date. Jenny was able to recruit and train the team in the carbon measurement protocols needed. We had a team of 6 people carrying out the measurements - headed up by Carlos Regalado, a graduate in forestry from La Agraria National University La Molina in Lima, and supported by co-lead Lizenka Villacorta a graduate in environmental sciences from the The Intercultural National University of Amazonia in Pucallpa.
The team initially carrying out measurements of the reforestation areas using a stratified sampling approach in Ucayali and continued in Loreto over September. The measurement protocol follows the requirements of the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), and largely involves measuring the diameters of tree trunks which allows us to estimate the trees biomass and ultimately calculate carbon dioxide storage. Lizenka Villacorta specialised in the management of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and checked the digital maps delimiting the boundaries of the planted areas. In 2023 this information will be audited by an accredited company approved by the Verified Carbon Standard prior to the issuance of certified carbon offsets. .
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Registered Charity England No. 1134720 - www.plantyourfuture.org.uk
A Journey into Agroforestry
At the centre of our vision is ensuring sustainable livelihoods from the land for local Amazonian communities - so they don’t have to leave their homes for work in the city, and so they have an alternative to deforestation. We believe, based on extensive research and consultation with international and national experts that agroforestry is the solution. This type of farming works best in the Amazon as it restores the tree canopy which means the soils are once again protected from the heavy tropical rains allowing them to regenerate and regain fertility.
Planting native tree saplings so that rural, low-income communities can restore their farmland is just the first stage in a long-term partnership. Our local team works with families every day so that they gain the skills, knowledge, and confidence to establish an agroforestry plot and turn that into a successful and sustainable farming business.
The most intensive and important stage is the first three years, when families need substantial support to gain the expert skills in sustainable agriculture techniques and to overcome the financial burden of high upfront costs (such as buying specialist tools, equipment, and inputs). By providing these materials, we remove a major barrier that prevents low-income farming communities from taking-up sustainable agriculture.
Growing saplings & preparing land
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Year 1
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When a new farming family decides they would like to join the Plant Your Future programme – usually because they participated in a workshop with our team – the first step is for our team to consult with them and explain how our unique programme works, and what joining will mean for them and their family. The next step if they want to move forward is for our team to carry out land eligibility checks.
They will survey and map the family’s land using Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and carry out due diligence checks, such as: remote sensing analysis of deforestation history and checks with the land registry for proof of land title. If they pass these checks, the family will participate in further meetings or workshops to understand the project further including in relation to the carbon offsetting, before signing an agreement.
Between July and October, there is a lot of work to be done in the nursery and for those families who live nearby, they will receive hands-on practical training on how to grow native trees and crops from seed. The process involves: germination, pricking out, pruning, watering, pest and disease control, hardening up, and finally packing up the sapling to transport to communities across the region.
As well as learning the technical skills involved in cultivating native saplings, farmers will receive support in general nursery management. All those who work in the nursery are paid for their time and importantly they are not expected to volunteer. This ensures that the nursery is run by the community for the community.
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Registered Charity England No. 1134720 - www.plantyourfuture.org.uk
From November, the family will start preparing their land so that it is ready for the saplings to be planted out as soon as the rains arrive, usually from December or January although this has become less predictable with climate change. A family will usually start by restoring one hectare of land through agroforestry, planting about 1,000 native trees in the first year. Preparing the land is strenuous work – digging holes for the saplings, weeding the entire area, applying organic fertiliser, and many other physically challenging activities – so we hire a crew of additional labour to support our farmers in preparing their land ready in time for the wet season.
Growing saplings & preparing land
Year 2
The start of the new year is our busiest and most time-sensitive period. The team has to plant out thousands of saplings during the wet season – a short window of opportunity that usually runs from December to April.
During this time, much of the team’s efforts are focused on soil restoration and land management to ensure the saplings survive and thrive. Fertilising the land to create healthy soil is very important and we work with farming families to train them in natural fertilisation methods, such as planting canavalia – a native nitrogen fixing ground cover plant. We also use a mulching technique using the nutrient rich leaves of the guaba plant.
A time consuming but crucial activity is to carry out regular weeding; in the tropics, weeds grow back fast and if they aren’t controlled they can out-compete young saplings, leading to stunted tree growth. Three months after the saplings have been planted the team carries out a survival check and any trees that have died are replanted.
Between January and April, the farmers start to plant crops in the alleys between the young trees. These crops can be harvested in a short time so that families can generate an income quickly. The types of crops that we grow vary a little depending on the soil and the farmer’s preference, but popular choices are charapita chilli peppers, cocona, manioc, bananas, and maize.
Toward the end of the year, the team supports families in selecting the cocoa species they wish to use for the grafting which will begin early the following year. It is necessary to graft the tree to improve yields and taste of the cocoa beans, ensuring better production and increased commercial value.
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Year 3
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Investing in future value
During the first few months of the new year, the team will visit each farm to demonstrate and carry-out grafting of the cocoa trees. This should only be done once the initial tree has grown sufficiently and established itself, to ensure the tree remains robust to local climatic conditions. Each beneficiary is given technical training in how to graft cocoa trees so they can enhance their skills and knowledge.
During year three, it is important that farmers keep on top of pruning. This is to ensure that the timber trees have a good value, as a long straight trunk without branches will bring them a higher price in the long term when it comes to selective harvesting. Additionally, pruning of the fruit trees is critical for making sure that a good harvest is achieved the following year.
A lack of pruning can mean the agroforestry systems become too dark, increasing humidity and risk of pest and disease attack. Farmers have to be alert to signs of pest and disease in their trees, and be sure to notify our technical team so we can help them control them before the young trees are damaged.
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Registered Charity England No. 1134720 - www.plantyourfuture.org.uk
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Financial
Summary
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Financial History
In 2022 our income continued to grow.
| Year | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income | £133,239 | £193,152 | £291,390 |
| Expenditure | £94,869 | £148,028 | £287,376 |
| Funds Carried Over | £38,370 | £45,125 | £124,888 |
291,390
2022
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Registered Charity England No. 1134720 - www.plantyourfuture.org.uk
Financiaf Statement Lewin Accounts Ltd/Chartered Accountant Independent examinerfs report to the trustees of Plant Your Future Re8iStered Charity England and Wales, No. 1134720 I report on the accounts of the Trust for the year ended 31 December 2022, which are set out on pa8e l. Respective responsibilitle5 of trustees and examiner The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charit5 trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under sertion 144121 of the Charities Act 2011 Ithe 2011 Act) and that an Independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility to- examine the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 Act to follow the procedures laid down in the gener31 Directions 8lven by the commission under section 14515llbl of the 2011 Act to state whether particular matters have come to my attention Independent examlnerf5 Statement In connection with my examination. no matter has come to my attention: 111 which 8ives me reasonable cause to believe that in any materlal respect the requirements: to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act and to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the 2011 Act have not been met or 121 to whlch, in my opinion, attentlon should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached l- Colin Lewin, FCA Mercury House 19-21 Chapel Street Marlow Bucks. SL7 3HN 24 October 2023 Phone: 0790 686375 Email- colin@thinaccounts.co.uk Registered office.. Mercu House 19-21 Cha I St Markmt Bucks SL7 3HN R istered in England No 7197950 Registered Charity England No. 1134720- www.palant ourfuture.org.uk 11
Financiaf Statement Plant Your Future Statement of finandal activities: 2022 1st January 2022 to 31st December 2022 Funds brought forward 120,875 INCOME Individual Glvlng Corporate Donatlons Tru5t5 and Foundatlons Glft Ald Bank Interest 46,228 1.254 231,584 12,253 70 TOTAL INCOME 291,390 CHARrrABLE EXPENDITURE Donatlons to Planta tu Futurol pe Projecl Bank Charges Consulting Fees UK Admin 239,698 365 39,505 7,807 TOTAL EXPENDITURE 287,376 Surplus / (deflclt) 4,013 Funds carrled fonvard 124,888 Registered Charity England No. 1134720- www.palant ourfuture.org.uk 13
References and Administration
Registered charity name: Plant your Future
Registered Charity Number (England and Wales): 1134720
Registered address: Wood View, Combe, Witney, Oxon, OX29 8NQ Website: www.plantyourfuture.org.uk
Twitter: www.twitter.com/plantfutureperu
Facebook: www.facebook.com/PlantYourFuture
Instagram: www.instagram.com/plantyourfuture_peru
Registered Bank: CAF Bank, 25 Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent, ME19 4JQ
Accountants: Lewin Accounts Ltd, Mercury House, 19-21 Chapel Street, Marlow, Buckinghamshire, SL7 3HN
Pro-bono Legal Support: Hogan Lovells
Structure and Governance
Trustees
Additional governance information:
Jennifer Henman - Chairman William Longden - Secretary Toby Parkes - Trustee Barry Firth - Treasurer (Resigned Oct 2023)
Plant Your Future works closely with partner organisation ‘La Asociacion Civil Planta tu Futuro’ to implement activities in Peru, sharing the same mission and strategy.
Type of governing document: Trust Deed How the charity is constituted: Trust Trustee selection methods: Appointed by existing trustees
Board of Directors of ‘La Asociacion Civil Planta tu Futuro’ are:
Board Member & President: Jenny Henman Board Member & Secretary: Luis Campos Baca
Board Member & Treasurer: Jaime Fernandez-Baca
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Registered Charity England No. 1134720 - www.plantyourfuture.org.uk
Thank You!
We would like to thank all those who have made our vital work possible and have helped us restore the Amazon and alleviate poverty. We are so grateful for your generous support.
Declaration
The trustees declare that they have approved this trustees’ report. Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees
Full name: Jennifer Henman Position: Chairman Date: 25th October 2023
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Registered Charity England No. 1134720 - www.plantyourfuture.org.uk