December 2022 Newsletter 2
Tree Planting—Our December Tradition
Mom and her daughter plant a sapling in the community of
Our partnership with The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation (FTPF) continues! James, Leanna, and Manuel from the foundation; Pedro from Mi Amazonas Vivero (tree farm); helping hands Karin, Arielle, and Roldan; and the CONAPAC team, Alexander, Michel, and Megan, all worked side-by-side with community members, planting new fruit tree saplings in five partner communities during the first two weeks of this month.
We celebrated the new trees that we came together to plant each day. Community members spoke of appreciation for the program, their hopes for the future, and their successes. Leanna from FTPF described the partnership between communities, CONAPAC, and FTPF to make everything possible. And Michel added to that, mentioning that the saplings needed love and care when planted and throughout their lifetimes.
Pedro is our consulting agronomist who grows the trees from seedlings for us yearly and supports our communities through workshops and mentorships. James is FTPF’s agronomist, who also works as the arborist for New York City Parks and Recreation in the US. When they get together, it is a double dose of tree knowledge! James and Pedro demonstrated proper planting techniques, from the depth of the hole to the distance between saplings. Then we spread out across the planting areas to plot and dig.
The trees are placed into the hands of community members to be planted in underutilized former agricultural land. These beneficiaries have chosen the tree species based on land type and desirability. The fruit will supplement diets, and growers can sell surplus if the harvest exceeds the community's needs. Throughout the year, we include workshops focused on increasing harvest rate and quantity. Fruit trees can take up to six years to produce a harvest. Many beneficiaries, like Señora Maria, are beginning to see the fruits of their labor this year!
With funding from FTPF, we distributed 6,000 saplings among six communities this year. Between 2018 and now, the number of trees we've planted is nearly 30,000!
Community children are ready to dig and plant
Pedro and James demonstrate planting techniques.
We also visited the trees that Señora María Díaz Ortíz received in 2019. Over this last year, she has had tremendous success, especially with cacao! She has implemented Pedro’s techniques and brought them to fruition.
What I Have to Explain to the Laundry
–from Megan
My apartment in Iquitos does not have a clothes washer or dryer; instead, I take my laundry to a service just around the corner. Sometimes, I have to set aside clothes that need special attention, and tree planting was one of those times! Soil and achiote stains combined with forest sweat and mud, my clothes needed lots of extra attention! The laundry did a great job, and the stains are gone, but memories of the activities that caused those stains remain in my heart.
Megan McDaniel
Exectuive Director, CONAPAC
Want to donate?
We have several long-time donors and partner organizations who work tirelessly for CONAPAC as Pachita does; with you we can do so much for our communities.
Our work is only possible with the many other donations, big and small, that we receive throughout the year.
