

We’re growing a forest without planting a single tree
What if we could turn deserts back into forests without planting a single tree? Across Africa, forests are vanishing faster than anywhere else on Earth. The growing desert is turning once tree-covered landscapes into dry, barren land. Tree planting efforts have tried to stop the damage, but in drylands like Dodoma, in Tanzania, they often fail, costing millions with little to show. But hidden beneath the surface, a solution is waiting.
The mission
Under the surface are vast underground forests, millions of dormant root systems, still intact and ready to grow again. And there is a simple way to help them grow. It’s based on an ancient farming technique that was nearly wiped out during colonial rule, when traditional land care was replaced by plantation agriculture. It wasn’t until the 1980s that agronomist Tony Rinaudo, while working in Niger made a discovery that would revive the lost technique. He realized that what looked like an ordinary bush was actually a tree, still alive underground, its roots and stump intact. Building on this discovery, and inspired by the traditional practices, Tony developed Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration, or FMNR: a simple method to bring these underground forests back to life, using nothing but care, pruning, and time.



In Tanzania, this technique is known as Kisiki Hai, which means “living stump” in Swahili. Together with our partner, the LEAD Foundation, and the support from Planet Wild community, we’re training 32 Champion Farmers in 8 villages across Central Tanzania to master this technique. Over the next 3 years, they’ll share their knowledge with 4,800 households in the Dodoma region, teaching it to even the most rural farming communities. To help, we’re providing the necessary equipment and community events to help spread the word far and wide. This collective effort will help restore 3,000 hectares of degraded land.
What we achieved
Ideal outcome
Our Partner
Samwel Stephen Msanjila is a land restoration expert and program coordinator at LEAD Foundation in Tanzania. With a background in rural development and project planning, he has helped restore thousands of hectares of degraded land across the country. Since joining LEAD Foundation in 2018, Samwel has trained and mentored over 200 Champion Farmers and more than 8,000 farmers. In addition, he led large-scale landscape restoration and climate resilience initiatives in one of Tanzania’s driest regions.
Our Partner

Samwel Stephen Msanjila is a land restoration expert and program coordinator at LEAD Foundation in Tanzania. With a background in rural development and project planning, he has helped restore thousands of hectares of degraded land across the country. Since joining LEAD Foundation in 2018, Samwel has trained and mentored over 200 Champion Farmers and more than 8,000 farmers. In addition, he led large-scale landscape restoration and climate resilience initiatives in one of Tanzania’s driest regions.
