Plant With Purpose: Regreening Dominican Watersheds Through Family Farming

Plant With Purpose partners with rural churches and farmer savings groups across seven watersheds in five Dominican provinces — Elias Piña, San Juan, Sanchez Ramirez, Monseñor Nouel, and Monte Plata — to reverse deforestation through agroforestry. Participating families have planted more than 27.7 million trees to date, and nearly 6,000 families, almost 27,000 people, now take part through 299 community savings and learning groups called Purpose Groups. A 2024 triennial impact study found that watershed participants active for three-plus years saw a 91% drop in poverty, and tree cover grew far faster in program watersheds than the national average. Farmers plant income-generating crop trees like cacao and avocado alongside forest species to rebuild soil health while raising household income.