A forest that fits in your pocket?

Hey,

Welcome to Green Jobs Rising!

In keeping up with sustainability trends, I’ve something for you: Pocket forest. 

Yep, a forest that fits in small spaces, grows 10x faster, captures significantly more carbon, and brings back birds and bees in just a few years. 

Also known as Miyawaki forest, the pocket forest was developed by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki.

The method is a revolutionary afforestation technique designed to create fast-growing, dense, native forests in small or degraded spaces. 

It’s ideal for urban areas, schools, farms, degraded landscapes, and even arid regions like parts of Africa.

While forests naturally grow through a primary stage and then a secondary stage before reaching their climax stage, pocket forests are created by a dense planting of climax stage species that grow rapidly in competition for sunlight. 

The Miyawaki method has already been adopted in several African countries, each leveraging it for specific environmental and community benefits:

• Cameroon: Used to combat deforestation and restore the Nkambe River watershed. Research shows that Miyawaki forests recharge groundwater more effectively than sparse plantings due to dense root networks that enhance underground water storage. The project created 245 jobs through community-run tree nurseries. Additional income streams include training 50 women annually in honey production and castor oil extraction from restored forest zones.

• Kenya: Implemented at the University of Nairobi (Chiromo campus), Ngong Road Forest, and Karura Forest to restore the urban tree canopy, enhance biodiversity, and improve environmental quality. Key benefits include carbon sequestration, groundwater retention, and active community participation.

• Uganda (Mpigi District): On Bunjako Island and in trial plots by LuTreeCo, the method is used to conserve threatened native tree species and re-establish local biodiversity.

• Namibia: Adapted to arid conditions to combat desertification, improve food security, and support ecosystem restoration using drought-tolerant native species.

• South Africa: Applied in urban settings, especially in Cape Town, to promote urban greening, enhance biodiversity, and foster community stewardship through citizen-led “pocket forests.”

As the world leans into nature-based solutions, pocket forests are quickly becoming a powerful trend in sustainability, restoring ecosystems, cooling our cities, and boosting biodiversity even in the smallest spaces.

They also create green jobs and empower communities.