In Central America, forests are being destroyed and soil is being depleted by slash-and-burn agriculture, resulting in the loss of precious ecosystems and farmers being unable to provide sufficient food to their families. Slash-and-burn agriculture is the destructive process of burning rainforest and using the nutrient-rich ash to fertilise crops. However, the land is only fertile for a couple of years, resulting in the frequent destruction of more forest. 30 - 40 % of tropical deforestation is caused by small-scale farmers as they lack the resources, money and political power to change their methods, leading Sustainable Harvest International to provide an alternative; forest gardens, also called agroforestry. With assistance from local Sustainable Harvest International field trainers, families learn to plant multi-story forest gardens, incorporating hardwood trees which provide shade for crops on lower levels, including cacao, coffee, ginger and vanilla. Below the upper canopy, farmers plant vitamin-rich fruit trees and nitrogen-fixing leguminous trees that improve the soil. This transition to sustainable farming allows crops to be replanted in the same place every year, enabling families to improve their health and increase their income, while restoring tropical forests, preserving wildlife habitat and increasing biodiversity. Sustainable Harvest International has impacted 2,500 families across Central America and planted over 4 million trees, restoring 16,000 acres of forest affected by slash-and-burn.