TRCC and FasterCapital Launch 10M Agroforestry Trees in Nigeria
Tropical Research and Conservation Centre (TRCC) and FasterCapital announce a strategic partnership through FasterCapital’s Equitypilot program to plant 10 million agroforestry trees across 10,000 hectares with 1,000 Nigerian farming households over the next 3–5 years. The collaboration targets soil restoration, income generation and carbon credit development in Nigeria’s agricultural communities via technical, financial and market support.
Market opportunity & problem statement
Nigeria’s 40.2 million farming households face degraded soils, erosion and declining yields across a 70.8M-ha agricultural landscape. Agroforestry addresses food security, climate resilience and biodiversity loss while opening new revenue from high-value cash and fruit trees (cashew, cocoa, African mango, avocado) and monetizable carbon credits. Despite growing demand for sustainable agricultural commodities and carbon offsets, smallholders lack access to seedlings, technical training, long-term contracts and finance gaps this project targets.
Startup solution & differentiation
TRCC’s community-rooted model combines proven large-scale planting experience (3M+ mangroves; 20,000+ economic trees) with farmer training, multi-storey, alley-cropping and hedgerow systems to integrate cash trees with staple crops. Contracts with landowners (10–30 years) and on-farm carbon accounting will enable dual revenue streams: crop sales and verified carbon credits. TRCC’s local presence, track record in the Niger Delta and partnerships with farmer cooperatives provide defensible access to supply and community buy-in.
FasterCapital partnership value
Under FasterCapital’s Equitypilot framework, TRCC will receive programmatic support including go-to-market strategy, digital market access, MVP financial modeling for annual investor repayments tied to crop and carbon revenues, and access to FasterCapital’s investor network. FasterCapital’s selective screening and global portfolio provides credibility and capital-raising channels to accelerate validation and scale.
Executive quotes
“Hesham Zreik: “We back mission-driven teams that combine technical delivery with scalable revenue models. TRCC’s 10M-tree initiative aligns impact with market mechanisms a clear candidate for Equitypilot acceleration and investor syndication.”
Ikponke Nkanta, CEO, TRCC: “This partnership marries local conservation expertise with global venture support. FasterCapital’s resources will speed training, carbon standard registration and farmer incomes while restoring degraded Nigerian landscapes.”
Growth trajectory & future plans
Near-term milestones: baseline surveys, landholder contracts, carbon standard registration and first-year planting of 2–3M seedlings. By year three the project will scale to full planting, verification cycles and initial carbon credit issuance. Planned expansion includes processing partnerships for cashew/avocado value chains and regional replication across West Africa. Funding roadmap targets staged capital rounds aligned with planting tranches and verification milestones.
About Tropical Research and Conservation Centre (TRCC)
TRCC (founded 2001) restores degraded ecosystems and advances sustainable agriculture in Nigeria’s Niger Delta through community-led reforestation, agroforestry and conservation education. TRCC has planted millions of trees and trained tens of thousands of community members.
About FasterCapital
FasterCapital is a global venture builder and online incubator dedicated to co-funding and co-founding innovative startups. Established in 2014, we are now #1 venture builder in terms of number of startups that we have helped, money invested and money raised. It supports startups worldwide through various programs, including funding assistance, business development, and technical support. The Equitypilot program is designed to help early-stage startups build scalable solutions with mentorship, strategic guidance, and network support.