When Siyabulela Sokomani was growing up in Khayelitsha, a township in the Western Cape of South Africa, there was not a tree to be seen, nor did he have any interest in environmental issues. That was simply not on the agenda. Surviving was.

But all that changed when a new geography teacher arrived at his secondary school. She set up environmental groups and organized quizzes on local trees and plants. “I learned all about trees in the booklets I used to study for those quizzes,” Siya says. “But I would only see them for real in the rich areas of Cape Town. There was not a tree to be seen in our townships. And when we won trees at the Cape Town High Schools’ Environmental Quiz, they were the first to be planted at our school. That was in 2001.”

Siya wanted to learn more about trees and plants, so after secondary school, he worked as a barber to save up money to enroll in a three year horticulture program. He later got a government job to green townships and its schools. “We planted over 20,000 trees in various schools through a program funded by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism,” he says. “It was more than 15 years ago now, but whenever I drive by, I still get that warm feeling.”

Today, at 34, Siya co-owns a tree nursery and grows saplings for the largest mature tree nursery in South Africa and others in the tree rehabilitation space. His nursery is an ethical one, using controlled release fertilisers that are less harmful to the environment, and with a particular focus on indigenous trees.

With malnutrition in children a serious issue in the area, Siya started organizing small-scale organic farms in children’s homes, while also giving them environmental classes and encouraging a love of agriculture. This initiative turned into the Townships Farmers’ NGO, which he founded together with children’s rights activist, Ondela Manjezi.

In 2019 Siya was elected as one of five youth ambassadors leading restoration initiatives by the 4th African Forest Landscape Restoration (AFR100), a project that has African countries committed to restoring over 111 million hectares of degraded land by 2030.  The ambassadors are tasked with creating momentum to restore degraded forests, farms and grasslands, providing an inspiring example for other youth to follow and creating awareness among policy and decision-makers across the African continent on the economic and social opportunities that restoration can bring.

“There is a future in trees,” says Siya. “I make my living with trees. Planting trees is not just for old peasants. It is for everybody. It enables me to pay the bills and send my children to school, and in the meantime, I assist with land restoration and the improvement of our environment. To the youth in Africa, I always say it is very easy to start a horticulture business because your initial inputs are right in front of you. You can get seeds from a tree or from a forest. You can do division and other propagation techniques and just start a business.”

In his nursery, Siya has over 90,000 plants and trees, ranging from acacia and aloe to pomegranate and mahogany. Indigenous trees are especially important to him, and he believes that if rural communities acquire the right skills to take care of their degraded land, they would be able to earn a living from the land and be less likely to move away to cities.

“Tree planting and environmental awareness should be every citizen’s duty in this country,” he says. “The green industry can be a powerful creator of sustainable jobs, along with the more obvious positive environmental impacts. South Africa should lead in curbing climate change through green initiatives.”

Meanwhile, as an avid runner, he runs marathons with a tree in his backpack. This creates a lot of interest and helps him raise funds through the  #runningtreecampaign. Not long ago, he had 20 friends join him running with a wild olive sapling trapped to their backs, and they managed to raise 600 trees in the Cape Town marathon. They have already started planting them in schools in Khayelitsha, transforming the township from desert to oasis with wild olive, sand olive and silver oak trees, thanks to the efforts of Siya and his friends.

Text by: Griet Ingrid Dierckxsens, Africa Regional Communications and Knowledge Management Specialist. UN-REDD Programme

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The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030, led by the United Nations Environment Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and partners, covers terrestrial as well as coastal and marine ecosystems. As global call to action, it will draw together political support, scientific research and financial muscle to massively scale up restoration. Find out how you can contribute to the UN Decade. Follow #GenerationRestoration.