“I didn’t know that these trees or seeds were useful for anything,” said the farmer Martin Ndirango, who is now the second-largest supplier for the company, called EFK Group. He hopes to extend to neighboring countries where underdeveloped agriculture means abundant croton (the nut grows in eight African countries) and he said the environmental and community benefits make EFK Group more than just a business. With $40,000 of EFK Group’s revenues going back into the local community, he said nobody is cutting down the trees anymore. “Before, we would cut down these trees in a very bad way, as everyone would say that these croton trees had the best charcoal. We can collect the seeds, get cash and buy food, and the trees stay.”By Hannah McNeish for Sparknews