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
June 16, 2013 |
New Tree Nursery For Reforestation Work
We’re in the process of constructing a new and improved tree nursery at our Project Center in Honduras. Alongside Inga seedlings to supply families, this nursery will allow us to raise thousands of rainforest trees for reforestation work.
June 9, 2013 |
Getting Stuck In
Neither Inga Foundation director Mike Hands nor our Honduran director, Abraham, will stay behind at a desk in the office if there’s a chance to get out in the field. Here they are on their way to visit some of the families we work with, on Mike’s last trip out to Honduras.
June 4, 2013 |
Full steam ahead at Kew Gardens
Here’s our Director, Mike, giving a talk at our recent, really successful event at Kew Botanical Gardens. Kew now has projects underway or beginning in Bolivia, Madagascar and Congo which are all aiming to use the Inga alley cropping technique to fight deforestation.
May 28, 2013 |
Gathering Momentum
Our projects in Honduras are really gathering momentum. In the last 6 months, the number of families who have joined our projects in Honduras has nearly doubled. We now have a grand total of 64 families involved and that number is growing all the time.
May 22, 2013 |
Perfect Timing
Just when we really needed it, we stumbled across this new supply of Inga seed from a local farmer. Even better, the trees in our new Inga seed orchard are growing up fast. Another years’ time and our recurring headache of finding enough Inga seed will be solved once and for all.
May 20, 2013 |
A Sea of Inga
Completely covered by grass less than a year ago, our new Project Centre is now a sea of rapidly growing Inga trees. Another year and these demo Inga alleys will be ready for use, allowing this Centre to serve as the hub as we work to spread Inga alley cropping across Central America.
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 Inga substitute species for the Congo Basin.
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)
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
May 22, 2013 |
Congo, Madagscar, Haiti – Going Global
There are so many exciting developments happening at the moment that its hard to know where to start. Aside from...
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...