Ethiopian woman plants thousands of trees despite mockery, then watches neighbors follow

After transforming her own garden and inspiring others to follow her lead, that skepticism has turned into admiration and helped spark a growing movement in her community.

Ethiopia has continued to lose tree cover — about 560,000 hectares (roughly 2,160 square miles) between 2000 and 2025 because of expanding farmland, logging, and charcoal use, according to The Guardian . Against that backdrop, Kedir of the Berbere district has planted thousands of banana, olive, and grevillea trees.

She said the reaction was intensely discouraging.

"My neighbours discouraged me," she said. "They thought I was striving for nothing, but with time, many are realising that trees can be part of the solution to our problems as a way to fight climate change and food insecurity."