Roots of Peace Marks International Day of Mine Awareness by Celebrating 5 Millionth Tree Planted in Former Minefields

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Apr 04, 2014, 04:17 ET

SAN RAFAEL, Calif., April 4, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Roots of Peace, an international humanitarian NGO working to transform former minefields into thriving farmland, today celebrates the five millionth tree it has helped plant in various war-torn areas of the world.

The fifthmillionth tree was a black pepper seedling planted on a farm in the Quang Tri region of Vietnam.

Seeding a Safer Future: Heidi Kuhn, CEO of Roots of Peace, which reclaims and transforms former landmine fields into thriving farmland, plants a cacao seedling with a farmer in Vietnam. (PRNewsFoto/Roots of Peace) (PRNewsFoto/ROOTS OF PEACE)

As part of its International Day of Mine Awareness activities, Roots of Peace will plant an additional 50 seedlings in San Rafael, California to commemorate its achievement, and provide a visual reminder to its mission of turning "Mines to Vines® - replacing the scourge of landmines with bountiful vineyards and orchards."

"For 17 years Roots of Peace has been dedicated to turning Mines into Vines®," Heidi Kuhn CEO of Roots of Peace said. "Today is an important day to bring worldwide attention to the devastation caused by landmines and the progress organizations are making to reclaim land once too dangerous to traverse, let alone farm."

Roots of Peace helps farmers turn acres of landmines into productive agricultural land to provide food security and valuable cash crops that help improve the livelihoods of rural communities.

"Everyone can get involved," added Kuhn. "It costs $3 to put in a landmine, and $1,000 to remove. For every ten people who give $100.00, Roots of Peace can continue this critical work helping farmers and families take safe steps into a self-sufficient future. Every penny counts." https://rootsofpeace.org/donate.

Today, Roots of Peace has three large scale projects underway around the world.

Vietnam: 40 years after the Vietnam War, farmers are still contending with unexploded munitions in their fields. Since 2010 Roots of Peace has helped over 1,000 farmers plant cacao, cashews, and black pepper trees on reclaimed land mine fields. By replacing the remnants of war with seeds of peace, ROP has helped to double the income of these farmers.

Israel/Palestine: Since 2010, Roots of Peace has worked with both the Israeli and Palestinian governments to demine areas in historical sites of Israel/West Bank, making the land safe for shepherds and their families to raise and grow their flocks of sheep. Roots of Peace was inspired to work in this region by an 11-year-old boy named Daniel Yuval, who lost a leg after stepping on a landline in the Golan Heights in 2010.

Afghanistan: For the past 11 years, Roots of Peace has transformed former minefields into bountiful vineyards of grapes, pomegranates, almonds, apples, and apricots for over 100,000 farmers in 34 provinces of Afghanistan. Roots of Peace is working to reestablish Afghanistan's legacy as a key agricultural producer. Last year the program was responsible for 9,500 metric tons of produce exports valued at nearly $11 million, greatly exceeding expectations and project targets.

Roots of Peace programs have achieved this by aggressively going to high priority countries to assess and establish international markets and cultivate buyer relations.

Roots of Peace is a non-religious, non-political humanitarian NGO dedicated to transforming former minefields into thriving farmland. In partnership with many other public and private organizations, Roots of Peace is making significant progress toward its goal of turning Mines to Vines®. Learn more at www.rootsofpeace.org.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140404/DC98881

SOURCE Roots of Peace