Ethiopia Plants 48 Billion Trees to Fight Climate Change

When Halima Kedir started planting trees in her Ethiopian village, her neighbors laughed at her. They told the 35-year-old mother she was wasting her time in a place where water was scarce and the land was degraded.

She kept planting anyway. Today, her garden overflows with banana, olive, and grevillea trees, and those same neighbors are asking for her help.

"Those who tried to dissuade me are envious of my effort and commitment," Kedir says from her lush garden in Ethiopia's Oromia region. She's lost count of how many thousands of trees she's planted, walking an hour each day to fetch water for the thirsty seedlings.

Kedir's personal mission mirrors a dramatic shift happening across Ethiopia. The country lost 560,000 hectares of forest between 2000 and 2025, leaving it vulnerable to climate disasters and food insecurity. But since 2019, Ethiopia has fought back with its Green Legacy Initiative, enlisting ordinary citizens to plant trees by the billions.

The results are stunning. Ethiopia claims to have planted 48 billion trees in just seven years, including 353 million seedlings in a single day. Forest cover has jumped from 15.5% to 23.6% since 2013, while annual deforestation has dropped from 92,000 hectares to just 27,703 hectares.

For Kedir, the trees are family. As a member of the Oromo people, who traditionally practice guddifachaa (adopting children into their community), she sees her seedlings as her own kids. "Just like we adopt a child in our tradition, I see them like my own children," she explains.

Her 13-year-old son Anwar watches his mother with pride. "I want to make a lifelong commitment in the fight against climate change," he says, already following in her footsteps.

The Ripple Effect

Kedir's transformation inspired her neighbor Fate Abdulahi to start planting. "She proved us wrong and she has become a role model," Abdulahi says. Now thousands of households across nearby neighborhoods have joined in.

With help from WaterAid Ethiopia, the community has distributed 55,000 indigenous tree seedlings, with an 85% survival rate. The once-barren land is turning green, creating a model for other climate-vulnerable regions across East Africa.

"Our history has shifted from deforestation to forestation," says Yitebitu Moges from the UN Environment Programme in Ethiopia. "People are becoming more and more aware that deforestation is damaging."

One woman's stubborn hope is now a forest, and a nation is growing greener one seedling at a time.