A LEGACY OF GROWTH AND GIVING
Collaborations with organizations like Plant With Purpose show how the Arbor Day Foundation’s long-term partnerships can change lives and restore vital water sources
What was once a barren plot has blossomed into a thriving farm, rich with cocoa, avocado, sapote, lemons, and grafted oranges.
“Before, we only had one or two crops,” Cesar says. “Now, we have variety — and that’s what sustains us.”
With the support of this partnership, he learned to diversify his crops, improve soil health, and build a sustainable agroforestry system.
“We didn’t even know about grafted avocado,” he says. “Now we grow it — and so much more.”
The benefits extend beyond agriculture. Together with Cesar and his neighbors, Plant With Purpose establishes savings groups, giving the community financial security and independence from moneylenders.
“We used to be slaves to debt,” he says. “Now, we borrow from ourselves, invest in our farms, and even help each other in times of need.”
Cesar’s farm is a family affair. His children work alongside him, learning not just the value of hard work and stewardship, but also the responsibility and pride that come with earning their own way.
The trees he’s planted have changed the ecosystem around him, cooling the air and capturing water.
“Before, there was no melina, no sapote,” he says. “Now, the land is alive, and I feel happy when I walk my plot. Everything I need is here and I don’t have to ask anyone for help — I have enough to live, and enough to give.”
“THIS LAND GIVES ME LIFE:” LUCAS’S JOURNEY OF RENEWAL
How one farmer in the Dominican Republic transformed barren land into a thriving legacy
For Lucas, the work of tending his land brings more than food or income — it gives him dignity, health, and life.
The story of Lucas’s farm is a story of transformation. What began as parched land in the Dominican hills has become a thriving forest of cocoa and fruit trees — a place that nourishes his family, his neighbors, and his spirit.
Lucas first began working his land in the late 1980s, when the area was little more than dry scrubland.
“Before, I didn’t know how to care for the land. I planted yucca and barely got anything. But Plant With Purpose taught me how to cultivate. It was like a mother to me.”
Today, his plot is a vibrant agroforestry system filled with cocoa, gmelina, sapote, and other fruit trees.
“This land gives me food, gives me life,” Lucas says. “It supports my family and protects the environment.”
His farm is more than productive — it’s regenerative. Trees like gmelina and cocoa sprout new life from old stumps, and fallen leaves enrich the soil naturally.
“I cut, I prune, I harvest, and I replant,” he says. “The forest renews itself.”
This cycle of growth has brought not only financial stability but also a sense of rejuvenation.
“I feel younger now,” Lucas says. “When I pick up my machete and go out to clear plants, it gives me health. It gives me life.”
Lucas’s impact extends beyond his own land. His trees provide work for woodcutters, sawmill operators, and shepherds.
“It’s not just me who lives off this land,” he says. “Many people benefit.”
He’s also become a mentor to other farmers.
“I tell them, ‘Plant gmelina, plant mahogany. Don’t just think about what you can eat today — think about what will sustain you tomorrow.’”
When asked what gives him hope, Lucas doesn’t hesitate: “My farm means my family doesn’t have to ask anyone for help. It gives us dignity.”
Your leadership and support make this work possible. To discuss how to expand your impact, please reach out to development@arborday.org.
This land gives me food, gives me life,” Lucas says. It supports my family and protects the environment.
LUCAS Farmer, Dominican Republic
FROM DEVASTATION TO ABUNDANCE: A FARMER RECLAIMS HIS LAND
Trees offer a way back home for one farmer in the Dominican Republic
From destruction to abundance, Jesus’s farm demonstrates the power of resilience, family, and sustainable land stewardship.
When Hurricane George tore through his community in 1998, it left devastation in its wake.
“Everything was destroyed,” Jesus says. With his cocoa crops gone and his home in ruins, he was forced to leave for Santo Domingo in search of work.
“I didn’t know anyone,” he says. “I had to hang on.”
He built fences, fed goats, and did whatever it took to survive, sending support back home to help his family and rebuild his land.
Almost 10 years later, with encouragement from his children and wife, Jesus returned for good.
“They told me, ‘Daddy, you finished the house. Now you have to come home.’” Back on his land, he began again.
Through the partnership with Plant With Purpose and the Arbor Day Foundation, Jesus learned agroforestry techniques, composting, and how to diversify his crops so he could truly live off his land and support his family. His plot now flourishes with cocoa, sapote, lemons, avocados, and pineapples.
“Before, I only had cocoa. Now, I have everything,” he says. “My wife sells what I grow in the market. We live from this land,” he says. “And I’m at peace, working with no one telling me what to do.”
His vision is clear: to maintain the land for his children and future generations.
“I feel happy,” he says. “This land gives us food, gives us life.”
Jesus’s story is one of resilience, rooted deeply in the soil — and in hope.