Pune · Satara · Solapur · Ahilyanagar

Help us plant 1 million trees on Maharashtra's farms

A weak monsoon has pushed farmers in 265 of the state's 358 talukas into drought. Fruit trees on farmland, supported by drip lines or stored rainwater where the site allows, give a farm a second source of income and a better chance through the next dry year.

Contribute to this project See how it works

The project

1,000,000

trees on farmers' own land

4 districts

Pune, Satara, Solapur, Ahilyanagar

Open until September 2027

Partners can join the campaign at any point until then.

Every plot is mapped and tracked on GreenTrack, so partners can see what was planted and whether it survived.

Why now

One failed monsoon can take a whole year's income

Most Maharashtra farms depend on rain, and most farmers hold little land. When the rain falls short, the season's crop is the whole year's income. Relief arrives in the season, but it does not leave the farm better prepared for the next dry year.

265 of 358talukas declared drought-affected by the Government of Maharashtra in late September 2026, including eight in Pune district

80%+of Maharashtra's farmed area depends on rain

86%of India's farm holdings are small or marginal

~75%of a wheat-and-rice acre's revenue goes to costs, so a 30% shortfall turns the year into a loss

Sources: Government of Maharashtra drought declaration, September 2026, as reported by Free Press Journal and Down To Earth; NABARD project concept note for Maharashtra; Agriculture Census 2015-16; GBT farm-economics workbook.

How it works

Trees, water and a second harvest between the rows

Trees alone do not make a farm drought-resistant. Each plantation gets a plan for species and water, made for the site and agreed with the farmer.

Farmers and the GBT team with saplings on a hillside

Fruit trees that last

Mango, guava, lemon, amla and other species chosen for each site. Early-bearing trees such as drumstick, lemon and guava start earning in 6 months to 3 years. Mango and jackfruit follow and can bear for 30 to 60 years.

Young trees in rows with a drip line along the soil

Drip irrigation where the site needs it

Drip lines deliver water at the root and put 80 to 95% of it to use, against 30 to 50% for flood irrigation (Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare). Where a project includes drip lines, the proposal says so.

Water stored for the dry months

On farms with a pond, monsoon run-off is held so trees can be watered through a long dry spell. Where a community needs it and the project includes it, village ponds are restored to store water for everyone.

Rows of marigold grown between young fruit trees on a partner farm in Ahilyanagar

The land keeps earning while the trees grow

Young trees are spaced so the rows between them can still be cropped. Farmers on GBT projects take both seasons from the same acre while the trees establish.

Rabi, Nov to MarWheat, onion, garlic

Kharif, Jun to OctBajra, corn

Marigold between young fruit trees, partner farm in Ahilyanagar, March 2026. Room for field crops narrows as the canopy closes, so it matters most in the first three to five years.

The evidence

What changes for a farmer, acre for acre

GBT compared wheat and rice with 71 tree-crop income models across nine regions of India. These are modelled planning estimates for a fully planted acre at maturity, in a conservative case. They are not measured farm results or promised returns.

Net income per acre, normal year

Wheat and rice

₹29,000

Tree-based farm

₹1.5 lakh

After a 30% fall in yield or price

Wheat and rice

−₹6,000 (loss)

Tree-based farm

₹0.61 lakh

Tree-based figures are the median of 71 models in a planning case that cuts the workbook's gross income by 15%. Wheat and rice is from GBT's pilot at Bawani Kheda. Bars are drawn to one scale.

Share of revenue spent on costsAbout 75% for wheat and rice. 30 to 50% for tree crops, which leaves a cushion.

Water per acre, per year58 to 86 lakh litres for wheat and rice. 45 to 53 lakh for a mature mango orchard, and about 26 lakh applied under drip in one trial.

Number of paydaysOne crop per season, against several tree harvests plus Rabi and Kharif crops between the rows. 25 of the 71 models harvest more than once a year.

What the family owns afterwardsA seasonal crop is gone at harvest. A tree is a producing asset for 15 to 60 years.

Across regionsThe median for every one of the nine regions sits above both traditional reference points. Maharashtra's is ₹1.4 lakh an acre.

What we are careful not to promise

Trees take time

A mango acre earns nothing for three years and passes ₹60,000 a year in year 7. Field crops between the rows, early-bearing species and partner-funded establishment bridge the gap.

A severe drought still hurts

If yield halves, the median tree-crop model falls to about ₹7,000 an acre and 24 of 71 models make a loss, because costs do not fall with yield. Tree farming lowers risk. It does not remove it.

Estimates, not measurements

The figures compare systems. They are not a promise to any farmer. GBT has proposed a field study of about 100 farm households to measure the effect in a drought year.

Source: GBT, How Agroforestry Helps Farmers (Farmer Livelihoods Report, November 2026), drawing on GBT's regional farm-economics workbook, Government of India data and published studies. The full report is available on request.

Close to home

Two farmers in Phaltan, Satara, in their own words

Both grow on half an acre with support from Grow Billion Trees. Figures are as the farmers report them, and individual results vary.

Hanmant Pawar

Guava with onion and garlic

Hanmant grew jowar and bajra and earned hardly ₹20,000 to ₹30,000 a year from half an acre. He planted 220 guava trees, grew onion and garlic between them, and now takes two guava harvests a year.

Before₹20,000 to ₹30,000 a year

Now₹2 to ₹3 lakh a year after expenses

Watch Hanmant's film

Kiran Pawar

Fig and guava

Bajra and corn barely supported Kiran's family. He began planting fig trees alongside his usual crops, and after seeing the fruit he added guava, spreading his income across two tree crops.

BeforeAbout ₹50,000 a year

Now₹1 to ₹1.5 lakh a year

Watch Kiran's film

Ways to contribute

Four ways your organisation can take part

In partner-funded projects, the saplings, planting and three years of care are paid for, so the farmer's early outlay is small. Drip lines and farm ponds are added where the project includes them. Pick the route that fits your team, then tell us on the form below.

Tree gifting

For your employees and customers

Gift a tree planted on a farmer's land, in a person's name, in place of a festive hamper or a recognition gift. Each tree is tracked, and you can follow progress on GreenTrack.

Tree certificates for employees and customers
Quantities sized to your gifting list
A real farm, a real farmer and a tracked plot behind every gift

CSR project

Fund an agroforestry plantation

Fund establishment for farmers in one or more of the four districts. Environmental sustainability, ecological balance and agroforestry fall under Schedule VII of the Companies Act, 2013.

Saplings, planting and three years of care
Drip lines or farm ponds where the project includes them, stated in your proposal
Site visits, employee participation and plot-level reporting on GreenTrack

Climate impact

Trees that store CO₂ on working farms

Trees store CO₂ as they grow and soil carbon builds under tree cover. GBT shares CO₂ estimates on request, using a standard method, with plot boundaries and survival audits recorded for each plantation. This is not a carbon-credit purchase.

Estimates shared on request, with the method stated
Mapped plots and recorded survival audits
The farmer's income comes from fruit, timber and crops

ESG and sustainability

Evidence you can report on

On-ground restoration with records behind it: mapped plots, photographs, documents and survival audits. Plantation activity maps to BRSR Principle 6 on the environment.

Verifiable plot-level records for your disclosures
Progress reporting to you as a partner
A story your stakeholders can check

महाराष्ट्रातील शेतकरी आहात? पुणे, सातारा, सोलापूर किंवा अहिल्यानगर जिल्ह्यात तुमची शेतजमीन असल्यास नोंदणी करा. नोंदणी मोफत आहे. आमची टीम तुम्हाला फोन करून शेत भेटीची वेळ ठरवेल.

Farming in Pune, Satara, Solapur or Ahilyanagar? Register your land. Registration is free, and our team will call you to arrange a field visit.

जमिनीची नोंदणी करा

Proof, not promises

Every plot is mapped and tracked on GreenTrack

GreenTrack is GBT's own platform for following a plantation. The map shows a 25,000-tree agroforestry project in Ahilyanagar, delivered for Varun Beverages through RJ Foundation and started in November 2025.

25,300trees planted against a target of 25,000

32farm plots mapped with boundaries

85%survival, program-wide

Survival is checked by audit year, and photographs, documents and certificates are held with the project.

GreenTrack satellite view with pins marking the mapped farm plots in Ahilyanagar — Screenshot from GreenTrack, project AGF-2026-025, Ahilyanagar, Maharashtra.

Connect with us

Tell us how you would like to contribute

Choose one or more routes and share a rough size. Our partnerships team will come back with a costed proposal for the trees, districts, water works and reporting you want.

Questions about the campaign

Who can join this campaign?

Companies, foundations and organisations that want to fund trees on farmers' land in Pune, Satara, Solapur or Ahilyanagar, through tree gifting, a CSR project, climate reporting or ESG work. The campaign is open until September 2027.

What does a CSR contribution cover?

Saplings, planting and three years of care, with site visits, employee participation and plot-level reporting on GreenTrack. Drip lines and farm ponds are added where the project includes them, and your proposal states exactly which water works are funded.

Is this eligible as CSR spending?

Environmental sustainability, ecological balance and agroforestry fall under Schedule VII of the Companies Act, 2013. Your CSR team should confirm how the project fits your own CSR policy.

How will we know the trees survived?

Every plot is mapped and tracked on GreenTrack, with photographs, documents and survival audits held with the project. Survival across our programmes is 85%.

Do farmers pay for the trees?

In partner-funded projects the saplings, planting and three years of care are paid for, so the farmer's early outlay is small. The farmer keeps the income from the fruit, timber and crops.

Does this include carbon credits?

No. We share CO₂ estimates on request, with the method stated, for your climate reporting. This is not a carbon-credit purchase.

I am a farmer in one of these districts. How do I join?