TerraFund for AFR100
Financing Africa’s Top Land Restoration Enterprises and Projects
Applications Are Closed and Under Review
Through May 23
A New Funding Opportunity for 3 African Landscapes
Between April 5 and May 5, 2023, TerraFund for AFR100 called upon locally led organizations that restore land by growing trees. If they operated in one of TerraFund for AFR100’s three target landscapes, restoration champions could have applied for $50,000 to $500,000 USD in funding. Applicants will be notified if they are eligible to submit a full funding proposal by May 23.
TerraFund for AFR100 is building off its success working with 100 restoration champions across 27 countries and diving deep into Kenya’s Greater Rift Valley; the Lake Kivu & Rusizi River Basin of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda; and the Ghana Cocoa Belt.
Expressions of interest for funding were open on the TerraMatch platform from April 5, 2023 to May 5, 2023. More information about the program and the requirements for eligibility can be found below.
Learn more about this opportunity on our TerraMatch Help Center. Information about the second application round, which will open in late May, will soon be available on the Help Center.
Local Action For Land Restoration in Africa
African leaders recognize that the degradation of 65% of the continent’s agricultural land threatens economic and environmental ruin for millions of farmers. At the same time, the effects of climate change – lower crop yields, erratic rainfall, prolonged droughts – are making life harder for millions of people. That’s why African countries have pledged to begin restoring 100 million hectares of degraded land by 2030 through AFR100.
Thousands of local innovators are now pioneering project and business models that show that restoration can create a prosperous, nature-positive future for Africa. Local leadership is key because communities manage nearly 70% of African land, and they know how to build ecologically and socially sustainable projects.
The First Cohort: Africa’s Top 100 Restoration Projects
These leaders need support. That is why a group of ambitious donors capitalized TerraFund for AFR100 to finance the top 100 African non-profit community organizations and for-profit businesses that are restoring trees to suitable African landscapes. After an extensive selection process, they provided funding of $50,000 to $500,000 in the form of grants and loans to each of these innovators.
These restoration champions employ a wide variety of tree-based restoration techniques, ranging from agroforestry (growing trees on farms to improve food security) through assisted natural regeneration (helping trees grow back to revitalize biodiversity). You can meet them below.
Meet Africa's Top 100 Projects
Expanding with TerraFund for AFR100: Landscapes
Thanks to support from the Bezos Earth Fund and The Audacious Project, the TerraFund consortium opened a new opportunity from April 5 to May 5, 2023. Organizations that restore land in the following three landscapes were eligible: Kenya’s Greater Rift Valley; the Lake Kivu & Rusizi River Basin of Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda; and the Ghana Cocoa Belt.
Why were these landscapes selected? Where exactly will TerraFund for AFR100 invest? Learn more below.
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![Screenshot of Rift Valley of Kenya map.]()
Greater Rift Valley of Kenya
Kenya’s iconic forests rest on the heights of the country’s mountains in the rocky Greater Rift Valley. Locals call them “water towers” because their trees are the source of 75% of the country’s water supply. But Kenya has lost 11% of its natural forests since 2010, the result of urban expansion, uncontrolled logging, and the conversion of ecosystems into agricultural land.
Millions of hectares can be restored in this landscape, and 111 applicants responded to TerraFund for AFR100 2021 call for proposals to do just that.
Six were selected, including EcoFix (K), a social enterprise that has trained 6,000 project developers to restore 2,000 hectares of degraded land with croton nut trees. These native plants produce valuable oil and fertilizers that bring income to local communities.
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![Screenshot of Lake Kivu and Rusizi River Basin map.]()
Lake Kivu & Rusizi River Basin
The region surrounding Lake Kivu and the Rusizi River consists of a dense system of fresh water sources that host endangered biodiversity and provide food and natural resources to more than 5 million people.
Unsustainable farming practices and charcoal production have led to widespread soil erosion, threatening food security and reducing hydropower production. To combat degradation across Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda, 83 champions applied during TerraFund for AFR100’s 2021 call for proposals.
Four were selected, including ARCOS. Based in Rwanda, ARCOS has worked with 120,000 farmers to conserve and restore biodiversity and enhance rural prosperity. Its members have grown 4.2 million trees across 20,000 hectares.
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![Screenshot of Ghana Cocoa Belt map.]()
Ghana Cocoa Belt
Ghana is the world’s second largest exporter of cocoa, generating $2.2 billion per year. However, the sector is facing serious environmental challenges. Between 2001 and 2017, illegal cocoa production decimated 13% of Ghana’s forest cover.
The unchecked conversion of forests to farmland has eroded the soil and reduced agricultural productivity, lowering returns for the region’s cocoa farmers. But that same land can be restored to health. And 54 restoration champions in the Ghana Cocoa Belt responded to the 2021 TerraFund for AFR100 call for proposals.
Five were selected, including PADO. This enterprise is restoring 500 hectares of land with 133,000 trees. Working with smallholder farmers, they grow native species to protect biodiversity and exotic species to offer high commercial returns.
Applications Are Under Review
Expressions of interest were accepted on the TerraMatch platform between April 5, 2023 and May 5, 2023. Applicants will be notified about the status of their application and whether they will be eligible to submit a full application by May 23. All applicants will receive feedback on their submission by May 31.
Other questions can be addressed to info@terramatch.org, and a member of the team will respond to you as quickly as possible. Please excuse any delays, given the number of inquiries that we receive.
Partners
TerraFund for AFR100 is managed by World Resources Institute, One Tree Planted, and Realize Impact. Funders for the TerraFund for AFR100 Top 100 cohort include Bezos Earth Fund, Meta, Good Energies Foundation, Lyda Hill Philanthropies, DOEN Foundation, AKO Foundation, and Caterpillar Foundation. Bezos Earth Fund and The Audacious Project anchor the TerraFund for AFR100 Landscapes cohort.
