Our global coordinator director and Aruba regional coordinator, Hans Timpner, tells us about the latest developments on his island.

A story by Hans Timpner

In order to give you a little background information, let me first tell you a little bit about Aruba. It is a small island in the southern part of the Caribbean, just off the coast of Venezuela.

Check out Aruba on our global tree-planting map.

About three years ago, the local government and some private persons had the idea of starting some food forest projects in those Primary schools that had the capacity and the place to do so. In total, eleven schools started a humble food forest in their compounds.

I started volunteering at the beginning of this year, and was asked to assist Princess Amalia School in Oranjestad. So, every week on Tuesday mornings, some parents, teachers, and volunteers meet at the school project, and from each class, there are 1 or 2 students who go and “work” in the garden.

Children participating in the food forest

Since I started, I have found this a very fulfilling way of spending time with younger folks. The enthusiasm of the students to do some pruning, planting, etc, in the garden is great!

Recently, the project initiator, Rose Barros, had invited me and many other teachers, parents, and volunteers from the eleven schools in Aruba to talk about a reflection on Aruba’s school food forest initiative. This was very interesting, and my mind opened to the potential of such a program for the future!

As far as our own initiative of planting trees around the world is concerned, such an additional initiative would be of great value not only for our Global Tree Initiative’s primary goal of planting trees, but also to combine it with food security for people. The combination of planting trees, involving the younger/youngest generation in it, and the additional benefit of teaching how to grow food is almost unbeatable!

To change an outdated habit when you start with school children, it takes only 20 years for these changes to be felt in our society.
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Thank you for this inspiring story, Hans! We are happy to hear about the developments on Aruba, and we hope that your story will inspire many future food forests around the globe!

Check out the Living Soil Aruba Facebook page, and stay up to date with their latest developments.

If you are interested in creating a food forest in your local community and need assistance in the form of advice and community, please let us know! We are happy to share our resources and to assist you with your project. And, we will be happy to write a story about your food forest, too!

Contact us at hello@plantgrowsave.org