Moringa Olifiera can be cultivated as a leaf crop or grown as a tree.

SUN for LIFE is a non-profit association, independent of any political or religious influence. Its creation results from several years of field experience and reflections lead by its founder, Zoy. SUN for LIFE fights against desertification and thus helps many families in need. SUN for LIFE directs its action according to two equal objectives: ecological and humanitarian; its program guidelines are outlined on its website.

SUN for LIFE provides instruction on creating and using solar cookers in areas threatened by desertification from over harvesting of plant fuels. The project also operates nurseries to provide trees in these areas used as shrub fencing for livestock and for providing fruit. These activities strengthen behaviors leading to sustainability.

Our second focus is on the creation of nurseries for reforestation with a robust shrub called moringa oleifera. This plant can grow as a tree or a shrub. It grows at least 3 meters in the first year and it sends down deep roots and tendrils that anchor the soil, preventing erosion and ground movements.The shrub itself produces valuable crops  nutritious leaves and fruits that are extremely nutritious and rich in several important vitamins and minerals. Food products from moringa oleifera have 2 times more protein than milk, 3 times more potassium than bananas, 4 times more vitamin A than in carrots, 7 times more vitamin C than oranges and have a 37.7% fat content. The leaves can also be used to purify water and to make a spray that helps other crops to resist insects and diseases as well as improving their overall health. The seeds of moringa oleifera can be used to produce a valuable oil. This shrub is a major asset in our fight against malnutrition.

Although growing moringa oleifera for food requires a good deal of space and the shrub must be protected from predators (poultry, grazing, etc.), it is very hardy, thrives in poor soils and requires little care.

Human Involvement

SUN for LIFE solar ovens made from cardboard and alumnimum foil help prevent deforestation.

Cooking over a wood or charcoal fire is traditional in India as well as most other developing countries. This method of cooking requires great effort in order to collect the daily wood for each family meal, an exclusively feminine duty that can take two to six hours per day. The use of wood for fuel in heavily populated lands leads to deforestation and the destruction of the soil. International reports show that several areas of the world, including India, will reach an irreversible state of desertification by 2020. Several converging factors that combine with deforestation are responsible for this dramatic situation, these include global warming, human and industrial pollution, and soil exhaustion due to poor agricultural techniques. A clearly defined global approach that could be both theoretically accepted and practically adopted in every country is needed. This approach must include reforestation and sustainable agricultural practices.

Environment

Domestic activity such as cooking is one of the causes of tree destruction and deforestation in India and other countries. The rural populations, due to lack of dry wood or other available energy, revert to cutting growing trees.

SUN for LIFE’s simple role is that of a localized action taking into consideration the economical, cultural and social realities. SUN for LIFE has operated in India, Africa and Latin America and has provided training to United Nations delegates. Among the projects’ partners are the Lions and Rotary Clubs, and the Guerrand-Hermès Foundation for Peace.

Web: http://www.sunforlife.org

Contact
Zoy
Place de l'église
F-30760 Salazac
France

Email: zoy@sunforlife.org

Downloads:

• Financial report (English)
• Nutrition, reboisement, mise en valeur agricole des sols arides (français)
• Download annual report for 2008