Plant the Future
Updated: 3 days ago
Imagine planting a tree that could still be feeding your family and producing income 80 years from now. That is the promise of the coconut tree. A tree planted by a farmer today could continue bearing fruit when that farmer’s grandchildren are raising families of their own.
In Maryland County, Liberia, that promise could become a powerful source of opportunity. The region has fertile land, a coastal climate suited to coconut cultivation and farmers ready to build a more secure future. Yet farming families often lack the improved planting materials, market access and dependable buyers needed to turn valuable crops into stable income. Plant the Future is working to close that gap.
Turning fertile land into dependable income
Universal Outreach Foundation plans to work with up to 400 farming families to establish 25,000 farmer-owned coconut trees. The trees will belong to the farmers and remain productive for decades. Participating farmers will also have a dependable market for their harvests, helping ensure that the coconuts they grow translate into real household income.
The need is significant.
Our baseline survey found that farming families in the area currently earn approximately $552 CAD a year. As the coconut trees mature, projected annual coconut income rises from $313 CAD per farmer in Year 5 to $517 CAD in Year 10. That income adds to what families already earn and, by Year 10, could increase a participating family’s annual income by 94%.
For a family, this can mean school fees paid on time, more food on the table, improvements to a home or the ability to respond when an unexpected need arises. Unlike a one-time payment, the trees can continue producing income year after year.
An opportunity that reaches beyond one generation
Plant the Future is expected to directly engage 400 farming families, representing approximately 3,200 people in the first generation. Because coconut trees can produce for roughly 80 years, those same trees could support an estimated 9,600 people across three generations.The benefits can also extend throughout the community by creating economic activity in farming, transportation, processing, quality control and other local services.
80% of its profits generated through the sale of coconut oil are slated for community development in Liberia, with particular emphasis on programs for women and girls. These may include scholarships, women’s cooperative leadership and income opportunities, and support for women-led households.The goal is not simply to produce more coconuts. It is to create an economic engine that continues generating opportunity long after the initial funding has been spent.
We have seen what happens when farmers have a market
Plant the Future builds on more than 18 years of Universal Outreach Foundation’s experience in Liberia. Our approach begins with a simple principle: before asking people to produce more, make sure there will be someone ready to buy what they produce.
That philosophy helped us build Liberia’s beekeeping industry. Since 2012, we have trained thousands of beekeepers and developed Liberia Pure Honey into a brand sold in grocery stores across the country. Their honey has also earned international recognition, including first place in its category at England’s International National Honey Show.
We then applied the same market-first approach to coconut oil. Liberia Pure has spent six years producing and selling coconut oil, with three community-based processing facilities now operating in Rivercess and Grand Kru Counties. Approximately 1,500 people have already benefited from that work.
This experience has shown us that training alone is not enough. Families need access to markets, dependable buyers and a system that allows their work to become sustainable income. Plant the Future brings those lessons to Maryland County.
The first trees are already going into the ground
Ten thousand coconut seedlings have arrived from Ghana, and planting is underway. Each seedling represents more than a future harvest. It represents an asset that can belong to a family, produce income year after year and eventually pass from one generation to the next.
Our goal is to plant 25,000 trees and generate more than $1 million CAD in projected farmer income during the initiative’s first 10 years.
The full concept note explains how the initiative will grow in carefully planned stages, including the path toward organic certification, local processing and higher-value export markets. The reason for doing it is simple: families in Maryland County have the land, determination and opportunity. They need partners willing to help them turn that opportunity into something lasting.
Help a family plant for the future
A coconut tree may begin as a single seedling, but its impact can grow for 80 years. This October, you can help farming families establish productive assets of their own, earn dependable income and build a stronger future in their communities. Your gift can help put trees in the ground and create opportunities that extend far beyond one generation. $45 - Plant 3 coconut trees
$100 - Train a farmer in organic planting methods
$250 - Contribute to a community nursery
$750 - Plant 50 coconut trees
$1,000 - Contribute to organic certification
$5,000 - Contribute to a capital cost item
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