Born From a Climate Crisis, Built for Enduring Impact
Farmers for Forests was founded in December 2019 from a profound urgency: the devastating toll of climate crises—lives lost, cyclones, wildfires, species extinction, and relentless extreme heat—galvanized a cadre of environmentalists and development practitioners into immediate action.
What especially struck the founding team was the stark neglect of nature-based solutions in the funding ecosystem. While climate funding got funneled disproportionately into renewable energy, critical natural ecosystems continued to crumble. Yes, slashing emissions is vital—but safeguarding our diverse habitats and life forms is equally crucial. Our survival hinges on them.
Armed with over 30 years of collective experience in agricultural projects and poverty alleviation across South Asia and Africa, our founding team knew that enduring solutions require partnering closely with smallholder farmers and indigenous communities. We make multi-layer, biodiverse farms and forests economically viable for rural India to grow and protect.
Watch Co-Founder Arti Dhar Pitch Farmers For Forests
Milestones on Our Journey
Key breakthroughs, scientific partnerships, and field deployments that transformed a visionary idea into a nationwide environmental movement.
Early – Dec 2019
Genesis
The Idea Takes Root & Legal Incorporation
The concept for Farmers for Forests emerged in early 2019 to bridge the stark neglect of nature-based solutions in climate funding. By December 2019, Farmers for Forests was legally incorporated as an impact non-profit.
January 2020
Field Pilot
Full Steam Ahead: Barren Land to Biodiverse Cover
We transitioned our first parcel of degraded, barren land into a thriving multi-species green cover, establishing scientific sapling nursery protocols and testing native species survival rates under drought stress.
July 2020
Scientific PES Pilot
UC Berkeley & J-PAL PES Partnership
In collaboration with researchers at the University of California Berkeley and J-PAL, F4F launched a pioneering Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) evaluation in Raigad, Maharashtra across 120 farmers in 24 villages, supported by J-PAL's King Climate Action Initiative.
January 2021
Community Scaling
Scaling Up in Gadchiroli: 30,000 Acres
Formed landmark agreements with local Gram Sabhas in Gadchiroli District, Maharashtra, scaling protection and multi-layer restoration across 30,000 acres of community forest rights (CFR) land, directly empowering 8,000 tribal households.
2022
Tech Innovation
Drone Monitoring & AI Canopy Tracking (MRV)
Engineered proprietary high-resolution drone mapping and satellite monitoring algorithms to verify individual tree survival, carbon estimation, and growth metrics transparently, laying the foundation for tech-enabled ecological incentives.
2023
Ecosystem Expansion
Urban Biodiversity Hubs & Ecology Education
Expanded beyond rural belts to create native urban biodiversity micro-forests in metropolitan centers like Bangalore and Chennai, while launching the "School for Forests" initiative to bring climate and ecology literacy to rural classrooms.
2024 – Present
National Scale
Fast Forward Acceleration & 14 Districts Active
Selected into the prestigious Fast Forward Tech Non-profit Accelerator; expanded operational afforestation and wildlife conflict mitigation clusters across 14 districts in 5 states with over 100,000+ trees protected and restored.