Lost biodiversity
Rare and endemic species vanish before they are documented.
Restoring Forests.Empowering Communities.Protecting Our Future.
Igbehinadun Agroforestry works with communities to restore forests, protect biodiversity, promote sustainable agriculture, and create resilient livelihoods through nature-based solutions.
- Since 2020
- Community-led conservation
- 2,500+
- Hectares of forest restored
- 1,200+
- Women & youth trained
- 800+
- Households benefiting
The challenge
Nigeria's community forests are disappearing.
Degradation is driven by poverty, limited awareness, and insufficient capacity for sustainable management. As forests thin out, so do medicines, foods, soils, incomes and the indigenous knowledge held by the communities around them.
Fragile soils
Erosion by wind and water strips farmland of productivity.
Climate exposure
Storms, flooding and heat hit rural households hardest.
Fading knowledge
Herbal and cultural plant knowledge disappears with elders.
Who we are
An indigenous, membership-based community organization.
Igbehinadun Agroforestry (I.A.), also known as Aratu, started as a registered Agroforestry Cooperative Society in Ekiti State, Nigeria in 2008. It brings together farmers, agroforesters, herbal practitioners and rural community members committed to protecting community forests.
Healthy forests create healthy communities. We are not simply planting trees, we help communities protect their natural heritage while creating sustainable livelihoods, preserving indigenous knowledge and building resilience against climate change.
More about usWhat we do
Six areas of practice.
Traditional knowledge combined with practical conservation, agroforestry and enterprise development.
Forest Restoration
We work with communities to restore degraded forests through indigenous tree planting, forest enrichment, land reclamation, and the multiplication of rare and threatened plant species.
Agroforestry
We promote the integration of trees, crops, and other agricultural activities to improve environmental resilience, biodiversity, soil health, and agricultural productivity.
Biodiversity Conservation
We identify, document, protect, and multiply indigenous flora and fauna while supporting communities to become stewards of their natural environment.
Climate-Smart Agriculture
We train farmers and communities in agricultural practices that improve resilience to changing weather conditions while supporting food security and sustainable livelihoods.
Community Livelihoods
We help communities develop sustainable enterprises based on forest products, agriculture, value addition, and other nature-based economic opportunities.
Environmental Education
We educate young people, farmers, women, and community members about conservation, climate change, sustainable resource use, waste management, and environmental stewardship.
Our impact
Measured in forests, in families, and in tonnes of CO₂.
For over two decades, we have combined restoration, training, and enterprise, building resilience for rural communities and ecosystems across Nigeria.
2,500+
Hectares of forest restored
1,200+
Women and youth trained
800+
Households benefiting
47,000+
Indigenous seedlings raised and distributed
75,000 t
CO₂ sequestered per year
23
Stakeholders
20+
Community guides trained
Since 2020
Community-led conservation
2,500 ha restored
About 2,500 hectares of land has been restored through this solution, with many flora and fauna species re-established.
75,000 tons of CO₂ sequestered / year
Improved ambience of the environment and at least 75,000 tons of CO₂ sequestered per year.
1,200+ women & youths trained
IA has facilitated training of over 1,200 women and youths in climate-smart agriculture (CSA) and sustainable ecosystem management.
Behavioural change in communities
These trainings have changed the behavioural attitude of local communities, empowering them to engage in sustainable harvesting and consumption, value addition, circular bio-economy, and regenerative organic farming.
Healthy forests create healthy communities. We are not simply planting trees — we help communities protect their natural heritage.
Stories from the forest
Voices from our community.
Stories of farmers, women, youth and herbal practitioners building the future of forest conservation in Nigeria.
Community Stories
How Agbado-Ekiti Is Restoring Its "Forest of Thousands of Herbs"
Inside the community-based biodiversity conservation project that brought 27 hectares of degraded forest back toward a near-natural state.
Biodiversity
Why Indigenous Trees Matter for Nigeria's Future Biodiversity
Indigenous and endemic species carry food, medicine and cultural value that exotic plantations cannot replace.
Conservation
From Forest Conservation to Community Livelihoods
How green enterprises turn protected forests into lasting household income for rural families.
FarmersWomenYouthHerbal PractitionersCommunity Leaders
Our Sponsor
Get involved
Healthy forests create healthy communities.
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