Well, it’s getting even more fruity over there – with mango also being planted across what is now our third site in this region of eastern Kenya.

Neem, the drought and pest-resistant, fast-growing species that has filled our three forests, will still be planted throughout, due to its remarkable qualities for this area on the equator, but sustainably harvesting the timber from these trees will take more than a decade, so the quick hit of guava and mango makes a sweet alternative.

Neem will always be our “Arsenal tree”, as it is now universally known across the area – including in schools, where children are desperate to plant saplings associated with our football club. But at the recommendation of the locals, we were only too happy to see them diversify and produce an instant crop to bring some revenue to the region.

Sadly, planting guava and mango is no easier than neem – it’s still the backbreaking process of clearing the scrubland, digging the holes, planting the seedlings and watering them in. But it will all bear fruit in the end – literally.

The big man helps out

Planting a forest is like scoring a goal – it simply can’t be done by one player. The whole community in Bore is engaged in this project, with men and women clearing and preparing the ground for each new forest, tending to the seedlings, planting the trees themselves and then making sure each of our three forests are cared for.

They had an extra pair of hands recently when local chief Shadrach Unda came on board to get his share of mango seedlings in the ground – no one in this part of Kenya is above getting their hands dirty.

The signs are promising. The soil is dark and saturated by the recent rains, which provides an ideal start for these carbon-ravenous tree babies. We will of course keep you posted on their progress as they grow, and hopefully keep on growing.