Tree Planting | divergent.org.zm

Species Profile

Baobab (Mabuyu)

Adansonia digitata — "The Tree of Life"

The Baobab is Africa's most iconic tree — a living monument that can survive up to 2,000 years. In Zambia it is known as Mabuyu. Every part of the tree eventually becomes useful, though meaningful yields take time to develop as trees mature:

Fruit pulp: Extraordinarily rich in Vitamin C, calcium, and antioxidants — a future source of juice, supplements, and food products once the tree matures.
Seeds: Pressed for oil used in cosmetics, cooking, and skin care.
Leaves: Edible vegetable, rich in minerals and protein — available from young trees.
Bark fibres: Used for rope, cloth, baskets, and musical instruments.
Long-term value: Baobabs are generational assets — trees planted today will serve communities for centuries.

2027 Target
10,000 trees · 1,000 per province

🌳 Add Baobab Photo Here

🌿 Add Tamarind Photo Here

Species Profile

Tamarind (Kawawasha)

Tamarindus indica — "Candy of the Wild"

The Tamarind is one of Zambia's most loved wild fruits, known as Kawawasha. It is a long-lived, semi-fast-growing tree. While initial growth takes several years before first fruiting, the wait is worth it:

Fruit pods: Sweet-sour pods with high market value for juice, candy, sauces, and health drinks — typically first yielded 5–8 years after planting.
Nutritional value: Rich in iron, B vitamins, magnesium, and tartaric acid (natural antioxidant).
Shade and fodder: Dense canopy provides valuable shade for crops and livestock — a benefit from the first few years.
Timber: Extremely dense, hard wood for furniture and tool handles — a Phase 2 value chain asset.

2027 Target
1,000,000 trees · 100,000 per province

🌿 Kawawasha knows it's special

The Tamarind has been feeding and delighting Zambians for centuries. Sweet, sour, medicinal, nutritious, and economically valuable — it's no wonder this tree is so loved. Plant one today and your grandchildren will still be harvesting from it.

Provincial Allocation

Planting Targets by Province

Every province in Zambia receives an equal allocation ensuring nationwide coverage.

Province	Tamarind	Baobab	Total
Central	100,000	1,000	101,000
Copperbelt	100,000	1,000	101,000
Eastern	100,000	1,000	101,000
Luapula	100,000	1,000	101,000
Lusaka	100,000	1,000	101,000
Muchinga	100,000	1,000	101,000
North-Western	100,000	1,000	101,000
Northern	100,000	1,000	101,000
Southern	100,000	1,000	101,000
Western	100,000	1,000	101,000
TOTAL	1,000,000	10,000	1,010,000

The Roadmap

Three Phases of Impact

Our programme evolves from high-value food and utility trees, through commercial timber, to a permanent, self-sustaining indigenous tree nursery network.

1

Active — 2025 to 2027

Phase 1: Health, Nutrition & Utility Trees

Our first phase plants trees with nutritional, medicinal, and functional value — species that will take a few years to establish and begin bearing fruit, but which will deliver lasting benefit to Zambian families once mature. Trees planted now are long-term investments in community health and income.

Trees in Phase 1:

Baobab (Mabuyu) — nutrition, medicine, fibre
Tamarind (Kawawasha) — fruit, market value
Future additions: Moringa, Marula, Wild Loquat

What to expect:

Years 1–3: establishment, growth, shade
Years 4–7: first fruiting for Tamarind
Years 10+: full yield for Baobab
Generational value for both species

2027

Expanding in 2027

New Species Coming in 2027

Alongside our Baobab and Tamarind programme, we intend to introduce additional high-value indigenous and fast-growing species in 2027 — expanding the range of trees available to Zambian communities.

🌰

Monkey Biscuit

Musekese

A beloved Zambian wild fruit tree with edible pods, valued for food, medicine, and cultural significance across the country.

🍊

Monkey Orange

Mahuluhulu

A cherished indigenous fruit tree producing round, woody-shelled fruits with sweet pulp — nutritious, marketable, and deeply rooted in Zambian tradition.

🌿

Mopani

Colophospermum mopane

A cornerstone of Zambian savannah. Provides dense hardwood timber, browse for livestock, and hosts the nutritious mopane worm — a vital food and income source.

🍐

Amarula

Sclerocarya birrea

The marula tree — prized for its vitamin-rich fruit and nut. A source of food, oil, and rural income, and culturally significant across southern Africa.

🫐

Masuku

Uapaca kirkiana

The wild loquat — a much-loved miombo woodland fruit tree with sweet, nutritious fruit that supports both household nutrition and local trade.

ℹ️ Species selection for 2027 is subject to nursery capacity, seed availability, and community demand. Register your interest on the Request Seedlings page.

2

Planned — 2028 onwards

Phase 2: Softwood & Hardwood Value Chains

Building on Phase 1 infrastructure and community trust, Phase 2 introduces commercial timber species to create sustainable, renewable wood product value chains and markets.

Trees in Phase 2:

Selected fast-growing softwood species
High-value indigenous hardwoods
Agroforestry companion species

Market creation:

Furniture and construction timber
Premium export-grade hardwood
Forest product value chains
Community woodlot enterprises

3

Long-Term Vision — 2030 onwards

Phase 3: Indigenous Tree Nurseries & Mopani / Mahuluhulu

Phase 3 is our permanent legacy — establishing indigenous and African tree species nurseries in each of Zambia's ten provinces, creating self-sustaining local capacity to grow, distribute, and replant native species forever.

🌿

Mopani

Colophospermum mopane

A cornerstone of Zambian savannah woodland. Provides high-grade firewood, browse for livestock, edible caterpillars (mopane worms — a critical food source), and dense hardwood timber.

🌳

Mahuluhulu

Indigenous species

A valued indigenous species with significant cultural, medicinal, and ecological importance to Zambian communities. Full details on cultivation and value chains to be confirmed in programme planning.

🏛️

Provincial Nurseries

One permanent indigenous tree nursery in every province — creating local capacity, employment, and a self-sustaining supply of native seedlings for generations to come.

🌍 Phase 3 will establish Zambia as a continental leader in indigenous tree conservation, community forestry, and sustainable land use — building a green economy rooted in Africa's own biodiversity.

Transparency & Accountability

Every Tree, Tracked — With Your Consent

Every tree we plant can be registered on our digital tree tracker — a tamper-evident, verifiable record of each tree's journey from seedling to maturity. Participation in tree tracking is always subject to the planter's authorisation.

🔐 Your Data, Your Control

Tree data is only collected with your explicit consent
You control what information is registered and shared publicly
All data shared is subject to applicable privacy laws
You may withdraw consent at any time
Sensitive location data is handled with strict confidentiality
We will never sell or share your data with third parties without consent

Each tree captured in the system receives a unique digital record. The information we can register and share is subject to restrictions — what is technically possible and what is legally and ethically permissible are governed separately. Our tracking programme operates within Zambian data protection frameworks and relevant international privacy standards.

View Tree Tracker →

🔗

What We Track Per Tree

📍 GPS location (with planter consent)
📅 Planting date and nursery origin
💪 Health status and growth stage
🍃 Fruiting and flowering records
🦠 Disease and mortality flags
👨‍👩‍👧 Community and economic impact
🔒 Tamper-evident hash record per entry

⚠️ Data shared publicly via the tracker is limited to what the planter has authorised. Privacy laws apply. Full terms on the Tree Tracker page.

Be Part of the 2027 Campaign

Donate from $1, or request your free seedlings today.

🌱 Donate to Plant Trees Request Free Seedlings

Our Tree Planting Programme