Plant With Purpose

Plant With Purpose, a Christian environmental organization, exists to transform the lives and land of rural families who live at the intersection of extreme poverty and environmental degradation. Our goal through 2025 is to empower 100,000 farming families to rise from poverty and heal 60 watersheds in 10 countries.

Plant With Purpose utilizes a three-part approach to address poverty alleviation that includes environmental restoration, economic empowerment, and spiritual renewal. By simultaneously focusing on these three areas, we achieve holistic transformation for impoverished, rural communities.

Plant With Purpose partners learn and implement sustainable agriculture techniques and have planted over 40 million trees in key watersheds. Farmer Field Schools teach units on topics such as soil health, watershed conservation, agroforestry, prevention of erosion, and whole ecosystem health. Locally-led nurseries raise species that contribute to the well-being of farming families and the surrounding watershed.

Economic empowerment is addressed by establishing Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs), which enable families to save their hard-earned income and invest in improving their lives. Savings groups allow rural farming families access financial services such as loans to improve their farms, send their children to school, and weather difficult times such as family emergencies. These groups are completely self-funded and locally-led without the use of outside capital.

As a faith-based organization, Plant With Purpose invests in the whole person through partnerships with local Christian churches. We believe that local churches best understand the needs of their communities and can lead the way in creating change. Churches are equipped in their efforts to help people experience God's love. Our church mobilization program trains indigenous leaders to work with their communities to meet needs using local resources.

Our programming and budget both reflect substantial growth in recent years. Worldwide, the reach of Plant With Purpose extends to more than 290,000 individuals in over 850 communities. Three key factors impact the success of our vision to alleviate poverty and restore the environment—sustainability, experience, and leadership. We approach our work with sustainability in mind; we take the long approach and take the time to train farmers and provide hands-on mentorship over the course of several years. We work to improve whole watersheds, improving the lives of not only direct program participants, but of others in the surrounding communities. Second, we have over 35 years of on-the-ground experience that has been honed into successful techniques and powerful, grassroots networks. Third, our work is community-led and leadership-focused, making it replicable and scalable, ensuring the work continues long after our direct involvement ends.

In terms of funding, Plant With Purpose draws from a wide variety of sources including individual donors, foundations, churches, and corporations. This diversity of funding ensures financial resilience and growth opportunities.

Plant With Purpose works in over 850 communities with over 50,000 families worldwide in 40 subwatersheds. Our programs impact over 290,000 children and adults. We catalyze indigenous farming families to affect change in their communities. Together, we have planted over 40 million trees, sequestering carbon through sustainable agriculture and reforestation and transforming entire watersheds. Flora and fauna return, water sources regulate, and land is restored. Together we have formed over 2,000 local Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) which have over $7.5 million in equity, without added outside capital. Women make up 64% of group participants which shows changing attitudes towards women and their contributions in typically male-dominated social structures. Together we are fostering 850 church partnerships and providing leadership training and support. Overall, participating families see a 55% reduction in poverty.

The future of Plant With Purpose and our partners is bright. Our 2025 goal is to work with over 100,000 farming families in 60 watersheds globally, impacting over half a million people and restoring watersheds through sustainable agriculture and reforestation.