KOMAZA is in the business of offering long-term solutions to serious problems. We realize that this is only possible if we make sustainability the cornerstone of our philosophy and operations. In that spirit, we are focused on building a lasting organization which develops long-term relationships with our farm families while improving our environment.
Sustainable Partnerships
KOMAZA does not look to offer one-shot solutions to the tremendous problems of extreme poverty. We have structured a relationship between KOMAZA and our farmers that will last and strengthen over time. Our innovative program model is centered around the theme of cooperation. KOMAZA depends on our farmers to plant and properly care for their trees, to which we then add value through our processing and marketing operations. Our farmers, in turn, depend on KOMAZA for farming inputs and training and have strong incentives to properly tend to their trees so that KOMAZA can return the highest possible profits to them.
Our farmer relationships are managed with long-term goals in mind. We partner with very poor farm families who appreciate the life-changing benefits that sustainable tree farm income will bring. Our families demonstrate their motivation and responsibility from the very start of the project by preparing their land for tree planting. KOMAZA's program is structured so that farmers are personally responsible for the success of their tree farm, which helps ensure that farm tasks are completed properly. Our Field Officers work with families for years and ensure that our farmers understand the importance of all the maintenance activities that KOMAZA expects.
A Self-Sustained Organization
In order to offer a permanent solution for freedom from extreme poverty, KOMAZA is building an organization which is self-sustaining in the long term. Donor funding and other methods of outside financing will be necessary as we rapidly expand and grow, but we must ultimately become independent of outside help. We have built this into our operating model—once we reach an adequate scale, KOMAZA will be able to completely fund our operations and their expansion from the proceeds of our tree farming project. Our plan also ensures that our donors achieve the greatest impact with their philanthropic dollars. Every dollar donated to KOMAZA is continually reinvested in our tree farms, where it earns tremendous financial, social and environmental returns.
Environmental Sustainability
KOMAZA's tree farming project helps the communities we work with take a major step toward living sustainably within their environments. When previously unproductive land is turned into a valuable tree farm, there is no longer a need to slowly destroy indigenous forests in a quest for cooking fuel and timber. Our trees are a 100% renewable resource which produce large quantities of cooking charcoal that is carbon-neutral. Environmental sustainability does not stop at the local level—KOMAZA's tree farms all create a net reduction in atmospheric carbon dioxide, thus sequestering carbon which would otherwise contribute toward global warming.
