On December 16th a group from RCP Metro (Pres Amita, Rtn Sunil, Ann Anagha Gokhale, Rtn Prerana, PP Mukund, Ann Yogeshree) visited 14 Trees Foundation (14TF) site near Rajgurunagar.
14 Trees Foundation is an NGO that is on a mission to convert barren hills in Ambegaon and Khed Talukas to green forests.
Thus far they have planted 250,000 trees over 1500+ acres of land. Kudos to Pravin Bhagwat, the founder of 14TF for what they have achieved in terms of demonstrating at scale the concept that barren hill tops/slopes with degraded soil can be converted into evergreen forests without any external inputs
(water, fertilizer etc.). Water, is the input that is most in short supply. 14 TF provides for that through rainwater harvesting.
In the project area, eighty-five ponds have been dug up that store rain water throughout the year. After planting the saplings, local tribal employed by 14 TF, take care of watering and other care for three to four years. This results in very high survival rates for the saplings (90+ %). In the process, 14TF is also able to provide employment to the locals who have become partners in the development process.
During our visit, Pravin shared with us his vision and how he has gone about expanding the scope of 14TF that started with a four-acre plot. According to Pravin this was his first experiment that has turned once barren, degraded patch of four acres into a lush green forest with huge biodiversity. The journey was not easy as there were many road blocks, but through perseverance, they have succeeded. Once the initial
success was obtained on the first four acres, 14TF scaled up the model to 1500+ acres!! When you walk around the site (which we did pretty much the entire morning) you can see how the landscape has begun to change.
During Rotary Year 2020-21 we had created a Rotary Grove where we had provided support to plant 139 saplings. We also visited the Rotary Grove. The saplings are all alive and have grown well despite the harsh environment that the plants experience. This is testimony to the care that 14TF team takes of the trees. Earlier the farmer who owns that land used to
routinely burn the grass. 14TF team has convinced him to stop doing so. As a result, the tree cover in the adjoining area belonging to Forest Department too has improved. This is a benefit that was unanticipated but is there to see now. Ours was the first Rotary Club to support this effort. After our support, several Rotary Clubs from our District have also supported 14TF.
Considering the success of our initial support to 14TF, I feel we should take up supporting this activity on an on-going basis.
Besides supporting a very worthy cause that furthers two of the Rotary focus areas, outing to the 14TF is also a very enjoyable and fulfilling experience.
