The Fruit Tree Project

The Fruit Tree Project

The Exodus Travels Foundation has recently launched a new programme, with our partners, the SankalpTaru Foundation to plant 4,000 apple and apricot trees in one of India’s most remote mountainous region of Ladakh. Planting in this notoriously difficult terrain will not only provide local communities with fruit to sell but also acts as a new carbon sink in the area.

Working with SankalpTaru Foundation, an Indian-based NGO that supports sustainable farming, the Foundation has enabled them to find pockets of land where these trees would thrive alongside working with local communities on how to sustainably plant, nurture and grow these crops. Apple and Apricot trees were specifically chosen due to their high productivity and fast-growing nature.

Back in February of this year, the saplings had been delivered to these remote villages, but due to the recent lockdown in India, plans for plantation had to been put on hold. However, in the last week, restrictions have been lifted enough for these trees to be planted – so the villagers have been busy preparing the ground and planting the saplings.

Given the devastating impact of the pandemic on tourism in this beautiful region, it’s now more important than ever before to establish an alternative source of income for families and vulnerable communities. We will continue to keep in touch with the SankalpTaru Foundation and villagers in Ladakh to do what we can remotely to ensure the success of this inspiring project, that helps to put food on the table during these unprecedented times.

Leh, the largest the largest town of the union territory of Ladakh, is one of the most visited destinations in India and we hope, when the world reopens again, that our travellers can return to the area and meet the communities who are benefiting from this project so we can help provide a more sustainable future for generations to come.

If you would like to join us in our support of our destination communities like India, you can make a donation here or to our partner, SankalpTaru Foundation  As always, we are grateful for and humbled by the ongoing generosity of our Exodus customers.

If you would like to find out more about the Exodus Travels Foundation and how we improve life through travel in hard-to-reach places, you can do so here.