by Isolde Hilt
He is called the „Forest Maker“ and was awarded the Right Livelihood Award, the „Alternative Nobel Prize“, for this in 2018. Some may also have come to know Tony Rinaudo through the documentary film „The Forest Maker“ by Oscar winner Volker Schlöndorff. The well-known filmmaker accompanied the Australian agronomist to several African countries to find out how this man „makes forests“.
In the Republic of Niger alone, Tony’s discovered method – Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) – succeeded in re-greening six million hectares of depleted land with 240 million trees. How was this achieved?
According to World Vision, over the past 35 years, Tony Rinaudo has inspired millions of smallholder farmers in Africa to give trees a chance to grow as guardians of fertile soil and rain, instead of seeing them as enemies or just fodder and firewood. How did he do it?
Tony Rinaudo: How does this man make forests?
Kristin Frauenhoffer and Isolde Hilt in conversation with a man who moves a lot:
Many thanks for the input to this interview to Stiftung Zukunft jetzt. Many thanks to Dirk Bathe, press officer at World Vision Germany, who made contact with Tony and provided us with B-roll footage. For more information: https://www.wvi.org/search?search=Tony+Rinaudo
