Planting new forests in India

I thought this was a great article in the NYT on recreating forests in India.
John S
PDX OR

https://www.nytimes.com/card/2025/09/02/headway/trees-india-vijayapura?unlocked_article_code=1.i08.MAVk.lcT7ZTswjWrC&smid=url-share

from the article:

But some farmers were reluctant to plant tree varieties that did not generate immediate returns.

“So, we asked them: What saplings do you want?” Santosh Ajur, a local forest officer, said. Their responses led the government to begin raising java plum, mango, neem and other tree varieties with fruit that could go right to market.

“Suddenly,” Mr. Ajur said, “we had people queuing up for hours to get the saplings they wanted.”

A lesson on involving stake holders perhaps.