In the heart of Africa, restoration doesn’t begin with a tree—it begins with a seed.
Across the continent, vast tracts of land are degraded, depleted, and waiting to be reborn. Tree planting has long been hailed as a solution, but what makes it truly effective isn’t the number of trees in the ground—it’s the quality and origin of the seeds themselves.
That’s where ICRAF and its partners come in. Since 2017, they’ve been tackling one of the continent’s most persistent challenges: providing enough high-quality tree seed to restore millions of hectares of degraded land. Their mission is simple yet transformative—to ensure every tree planted is genetically strong, well-adapted to its environment, and capable of thriving for generations.
Half of Africa’s landmass is already degraded or severely threatened. Reclaiming that land means more than planting trees—it means rebuilding ecosystems and livelihoods. Through the African Tree Seed Systems project, ICRAF is helping governments access the best possible seed sources, supporting a new era of large-scale, science-driven restoration.
From breeding seed orchards to community seed banks, the initiative is designed to empower local people. Forty-five orchards across 19 species—11 of them native—now form the backbone of Africa’s tree seed revolution. Farmers and technicians are being trained, local seed centres upgraded, and regional networks strengthened to ensure quality from soil to canopy.
This is restoration that lasts. It’s the groundwork for a greener, more resilient Africa—grown from the ground up.
This is restoration done right.
