The Inga Foundation; Improving food security, protecting the rainforest and reducing global carbon emissions through pioneering a scientifically proven, sustainable alternative to slash and burn farming.
Latest News
May 18, 2013 |
Leading By Example
Pablo Pinot, Honduran farmer and the newest member of the Inga Foundation team, with his young Inga alley plot. Not only will this plot provide food security for Pablo’s family, it will also serve as a living example of the effectiveness of the Inga system, helping Pablo convince other local families to give up slash and burn as well.
May 17, 2013 |
Spot the Difference
Believe it or not, this is the same Inga tree, just 10 months on. It was one of the first seedlings planted at our new Project Center last July and now, 10 months later, its already over 2 meters high.
April 30, 2013 |
Brand New Tree Nursery at Lefoutou, Congo
The new nursery is huge, capable of holding several hundred thousand seedlings. Right now its housing the first 4,000 seedlings, from 8 carefully selected tree species. These seedlings will soon be planted out into trial alley plots so we can judge which one would make the best African Inga substitute.
April 20, 2013 |
Time is Short for the Congo’s Mighty Rainforests
Mike Hands is currently out in the Congo. He is working to identify native Congo trees which could be used in the Inga alley system, with help from Kew Gardens expert Dr. Martin Cheek and local Congolese agronomists. As you can see, the rainforest is starting to fragment all across the Congo, making identifying a Inga replacement to tackle slash and burn in Congo all the more urgent.
April 12, 2013 |
The Spectacular Tabebuia Trees Burst into Bloom
For a few days each year, emerging from the dense green of the intact rainforest, dozens of astonishingly yellow Tabebuia trees burst into bloom. Or at least, this is what happens in the few areas where large expanses of rainforest still remain. Support us and help protect the wonders of these shrinking forests.
April 10, 2013 |
The Treasures of Pico Bonito Rainforest
One of the lesser known felines of the Honduran rainforest, the beautiful Margay depends on large areas of intact rainforest for its survival. This one was photographed in the Pico Bonito area, right by where we are working, presenting yet another reason why its so urgent to stop slash and burn eating away at these forests. (Photo Credit: James Adams)
April 8, 2013 |
Las Flores – The Inga Nerve Centre
A view of the young Inga alleys at Las Flores, our new project centre which we are currently busy getting up and running. Once its ready Las Flores will serve as the nerve centre for dissemination of the Inga Model around the humid tropics.
April 5, 2013 |
The Local Boss
Meet Abraham Martinez, Inga Foundation Director of Field Operations for Honduras. Cool, calm, determined and utterly committed to the Guama Model. This passionate Forester is a natural leader and we are very lucky to have him.
April 4, 2013 |
Inga – The Candy Floss Tree
Daniel Reyes, Demo Farm foreman, shows why Inga is sometime known as the candy floss tree! Children especially love this natural sugary snack, making it easy to persuade them to help with de-podding and cleaning the seeds ready for planting.
April 3, 2013 |
Pepper: Plants, Processing and Progress
Doña Rosario, a Guamera (Inga farmer) of 10 years standing, shows off her pepper seedlings which she will plant out and harvest when they are ready. Pepper is the cash crop of choice for Inga Foundation farmers, and the new Demo Farm is being prepared to cultivate and process it on a large scale. Progress is going well though we still need further funds for a Processing and Educational Centre.
March 31, 2013 |
Our Growing Team
Local farmer Pablo Pinto has now joined the Inga Foundation staff. He proudly sports his new Guamero outfit on his plot in the Cangrajal river valley. A very calm, determined, impressive addition to what is an exciting period in Inga Foundations’s development.
March 27, 2013 |
Protecting Biodiversity Through Helping Local Farmers
The rainforest we are protecting by helping families give up slash and burn supports a rich biodiversity of different species. Our director Mike and Inga Associate Jan were lucky enough today to catch a glimpse of one particularly charismatic species which depends on these forests – the appropriately named Lovely Continga.
Up In Smoke - watch the trailer below or see the full film
Our Projects
The Inga Foundation is currently working on a number of projects in Honduras, as well as elsewhere around the world. You can view the full list on our Project Page
About The Inga Foundation
Slash and burn farming is rapidly destroying the world’s remaining rainforests and sending vast amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Yet for more than 250 million farmers across the world, it is the only way they can survive.
Through implementing Inga Alley Cropping – the sustainable alternative to slash and burn – we can change this. By supporting farmers to take up this technique, the Inga Foundation gives them the ability to feed their families and improve their livelihoods, whilst keeping the rainforest and it’s rich biodiversity intact.
Donate today to help us improve livelihoods, protect biodiversity, and combat climate change.
Recent Blogs
September 5, 2012 |
Life and Death Choices Over How to Make Dinner
Choosing to switch from slash and burn to Inga alley cropping is probably a bigger decision than most people who see this blog, myself included, this will ever have to make. I’m unlikely, and I’m very grateful for...
August 12, 2012 |
Open Day a Big Success
On Friday we held an Open Day at our new Project Center in San Marcos. It’s always a bit nerve wracking just before an event like this, waiting to see what the results of all that effort will be and wondering how many...
August 12, 2012 |
That All-Important Other Option
We’re on our way up to one of the mountain villages and I’ve stopped a minute as we pass yet another freshly cleared slash and burn plot to try to take in what I’m seeing. I stand in the heavy silence and look out at the...