"I am 35 years old. I grew up in this village," says Haftom, from Seret. "This conflict taught me how forests save human lives. The Seret exclosure hid us for a week during this war." The conflict that erupted in Tigray at the end of 2020, combined with recurring locust plagues, means that the farmers are struggling to feed their families. In early 2021 we branched out from our usual activities and launched an urgent fundraising campaign to provide essential seeds and secure the next harvest for the 23,000 smallholder farmers living there.