Liming, China, August 2023
Summary of project goals
In 2021, A Tree for You launched a Donation Campaign to support the project in Liming, which supports the Lisu and Naxi ethnic minorities in China. The aim is to obtain 5,073 fruit and environmental trees, in addition to medicinal plants. These plantations will help tackle the high level of soil erosion in the region, enrich biodiversity, and generate extra income for the local population through sales of medicinal plants and fruit. This project is the continuation of a first planting operation carried out in the village of Liming in 2020.
Overview of the different planting waves
In 2022, 5,190 trees were planted in two phases on 11 farmers plots of land. The first, in April 2022 with six farmers, resulted in the planting of eight different species of fruit tree. These were chosen to best meet the needs of the local communities.
Focus on the second phase of the planting wave
After the fruit trees, environmental trees were distributed to the farmers between June and September 2022. Eleven tree species were transported from the nursery and distributed to five farming families. These species were selected to help preserve biodiversity on the plots. When the trees were distributed, the farmers were also provided with the necessary planting equipment.
The environmental trees include Lijiang purple spruce, Chinese white pine, and Kalkora mimosa.
The main difficulty during this planting operation was the lack of water. Indeed, climate change is making itself felt in the region, especially with increasingly frequent periods of drought becoming more frequent. To remedy this penury, the project installed irrigation pipes to channel water to the plots.
Training for beneficiaries has also been carried out on planting techniques and branch pruning. There are also plans to provide training on fertiliser management and disease and pest control by the end of 2023. These sessions are run by the local partner and take place at the planting sites.
A total of 19 species have been planted for this project.
In addition to the trees, new medicinal plants have also been planted. After starting in 2021 by planting Konjac, three other species were planted in 2022: Rhizoma Paridis Yunnanensis, Gentiana Macrophylla and Aucklandia costus.
Monitoring and maintenance of plantations has started
A first monitoring visit was carried out in early January 2023 to assess the survival rate of the planted trees, to replant if necessary, and train the farmers in tree pruning and maintenance. A year after the last planting, the first follow-up established a survival rate of 97%. Some replanting was done in 2023 to compensate for dead plants.
Feedback from a beneficiary:
Chengzhong lives with his wife and two sons. They own 8 mu (0.53 ha) of farmland planted with maize and potatoes to feed 6 pigs and 42 goats. Livestock is his main source of income.
His family has planted cherry (Cerasus avium), apple (Malus domestica), plum (Prunus salicina), wild peach (Amygdalus davidiana) and quince trees (Chaenomeles speciosa). They have been incorporated into the cultivated land (intra-plot model) and also planted more densely (often 2m x 2m) around the edges.
“We planted fruit trees because they will provide us with extra income without requiring much extra maintenance. We hope to harvest the first fruit within five years.”
