Aberash Tekle

Revolutionized Ethiopia's reforestation through community-driven eco-farming

Aberash Tekle is an Ethiopian environmentalist leading the Green Legacy Initiative, which planted 6 billion trees in 2022 alone. Her innovative approach integrates agroforestry with traditional farming practices to combat desertification. By training farmers to intercrop native trees with staple crops, she's created self-sustaining ecosystems that increase yields while sequestering carbon.

What distinguishes Tekle is her focus on women's leadership in conservation. She established the Green Mothers Network, empowering 20,000 rural women to become eco-entrepreneurs. Their tree nurseries not only restore degraded lands but also provide income through fruit sales and eco-tourism ventures.

Her work has been recognized by the UN Environment Programme, which adopted her models for their African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative. Satellite data shows regions under her program increased forest cover by 300% in just 5 years, proving that community-led solutions can effectively address climate change.