09/10/2026
What if tree planting did not end on planting day?
Treevolution did not begin in Ikoro Ekiti. Its roots lie in TGED Foundation’s 2022 Ekiti 5,000 Trees initiative, where monitoring and learning taught us that planting seedlings is only the beginning. Lasting restoration depends on who owns the trees, who nurtures them, whether they survive, and whether communities can carry the work forward once an intervention ends.
On 30 September 2026, we took the next step with the formal launch of the Treevolution – Ikoro Community Pilot, in partnership with the Ikoro Tree Growers and Timbers Contractors Association.
Rather than counting seedlings alone, the pilot asks deeper questions: Who bears responsibility for the trees? Where are they planted? Will they endure? What support do growers need?
The launch drew 48 participants, including community tree growers, representatives and the Ekiti State Forestry Commission. Ten growers were chosen for the first cohort, and 100 Gmelina seedlings were allocated as a manageable starting point for testing stewardship and survival. Participants received practical sensitisation on tree establishment, aftercare and preventing losses from fire, grazing and poor maintenance. Growers signed stewardship commitments, and TGED demonstrated how planting sites can be geo-mapped for future monitoring.
Those 100 seedlings are not the destination. They open a 12-month learning process in which TGED and the Association will track survival, maintenance and grower participation. Our longer-term vision is stronger community nurseries, including the propagation of scarce indigenous species, with expanded opportunities for women and young people and realistic green livelihood pathways.
From planting trees to strengthening the systems, people and knowledge that keep restoration going.
This is Treevolution!!!
GreenLivelihoods ClimateAction Ekiti EnvironmentalRestoration CommunityLedDevelopment
