The Asociación de Mujeres Ixpiyakok (ADEMI, Ixpiyakok Women's Association) brings together 30 groups of Maya women in Chimaltenango to improve local food security and nutrition through organic family farms and seed banks. Originally launched as a credit and savings program for local women, the association has expanded into health and education service provision, as well as advocacy for w

FrutaSã has its roots in a scoping study of the Brazilian Cerrado eco-region conducted in the 1990s to determine socioeconomic challenges facing smallholder farmers and indigenous communities. Alongside mounting environmental threats to the region, exacerbated by the economic marginalization of the rural communities and subsequent over-exploitation of local resources, these findings insp

Through participatory planning and mapping exercises, the agro-pastoralist Itoh community conserves land around the Kilum mountain forest for grazing and agriculture. This forest fragment had previously been under threat from encroachment for timber harvesting and clearing for agriculture; it is the largest remnant of montane forest in the Bamenda Highlands of Cameroon's Northwest Province. The

Kalinga Mission for Indigenous Children and Youth Development, Inc. (KAMICYDI) works to improve food security for the indigenous Kalinga people of the Philippines Cordillera, while ensuring the ecological integrity of the area's mountain forests. The association draws from traditional farming practices and customary forest management systems.

These traditional approaches have been augme

Once on the brink of resettlement due to desertification, soil degradation and lack of water, the Abrha Weatsbha community in northern Ethiopia has reclaimed its land through the reforestation and sustainable management of over 224,000 hectares of forest.  Tree planting activities have resulted in improved soil quality, higher crop yields, greater biomass production, groundwater functionin

For more than twenty-five years, the Agencia para el Desarrollo de la Mosquitia (MOPAWI, Agency for the Development of the Mosquitia) has worked to engage local and indigenous communities in the integrated management of the Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve and other protected areas in northeastern Honduras. Located within the Mosquitia area, the reserve contains the largest inta

Aharam Traditional Crops Producers' Company works with socially marginalized rural producers to conserve biodiversity in the semi-arid Ramnad Plains of Tamil Nadu state. The initiative uses a producer group model focused on women and landless labourers to promote organic farming practices that improve crop diversity and agro-biodiversity. The group's work has aimed at reducing dependence on cot

The communities behind Al-Heswa Wetland Protected Area have successfully transformed a garbage dump into a functioning wetland ecosystem that provides a breeding site more than 100 migratory bird species, including flamingos. As a result, the Aden wetlands have grown into among the most important wetland ecosystems in Yemen and in the entire region. The community-managed protected area redirect

Developed as a response to the overexploitation of natural resources, wildlife poaching, and water pollution, the Alliance for Integrated Development Nepal (AID-Nepal) protects and manages the resources of Jagadishpur, an ‘important bird area’, a Ramsar site, and the largest manmade reservoir in Nepal. AID-Nepal works to create sustainable livelihoods wh

Created as a response to land degradation issues resulting from slash-and-burn agriculture, uncontrolled bush fires, and overgrazing, Amical Bè Ôko is a three-village initiative that focuses on the reforestation of the degraded banks of the Kpaya River with palm and fruit-bearing trees to improve local health, nutrition, and food security. Reforestation efforts have restored ecosys

Association Amsing was created by the villagers of Elmoudaa – an Amazirght (Berber) community located in the High Atlas Mountains – to address economic isolation, a lack of social services, and harsh climatic conditions.  The association has successfully regenerated degraded lands surrounding their village through a traditional land management practice called ‘azzayn’ which bans herder

Asociación Comunitaria “Bolívar Tello Cano” is reducing deforestation by providing a sustainable income-generation activity for local indigenous communities that does not require cutting down trees. The association has worked with researchers to pioneer a technique to extract the essential oils from the seeds of the Palo Santo tree. The oil has commercial value for use in perfumes and foo

Founded by local women in 2003, Asociación de Artesanas de Arbolsol y Huaca de Barro (AAAHB, Women Artisans’ Association of Arbolsol and Huaca de Barro) works to recover traditional methods of cotton production that are environmentally responsible and create positive socioeconomic change in Mórrope District, Lambayeque, northern Peru.

The association oversees the pla

Asociación de Comunidades Forestales de Petén (ACOFOP, Association of Forest Communities of Petén) brings together communities in the buffer zone of the Maya Biosphere Reserve to manage forest concessions that collectively represent the world's largest certified forest area under community management.

The initiative has

Developed in response to the uncontrolled poaching of wildlife in the Yasuní Biosphere Reserve, Asociación de Mujeres Waorani de la Amazonia Ecuatoriana (AMWAE, or in English, Association of Waorani Women of the Ecuadorian Amazon) is promoting organic cacao cultivation as a wildlife protection measure and a pathway to local sustainable development. The association has created a la

Asociación de Pobladores por el Progreso y Desarrollo de Campo Amor, Zarumilla (ASPOPRODECAZ, Residents’ Association for the Progress and Development of Campo Amor, Zarumilla) represents the 11,000 inhabitants of Campo Amor, a coastal town in the buffer zone of the Tumbes National Mangrove Sanctuary. The region is a gateway to this important protected area, and home to many communi

Based in the northern Caldas region of Colombia, Asociación de Productores Indígenas y Campesinos (ASPROINCA, Association of Indigenous and Peasant Producers) is a community-based organization that works with close to 350 indigenous farming families to diversify their agricultural production in an environmentally responsible manner.

A key objective of the association is en

This agroforestry project facilitates a variety of initiatives focused on supporting both family and commercial level agricultural production. Associação dos Pequenos Agrossilvicultores (Association of Smallholder Agroforestry Producers) brings together migrant farmers and indigenous rubber tappers in the Abuna region of northern Brazil. Since 1989, these two groups have worked to

L’Association Adidy Maitso (Adidy Maitso Association) was established in 2005 with the aim of conserving the natural resources of Didy Forest – a dense moist forest of medium altitude in the Alaotra Mangoro region of eastern Madagascar. The forest lies within the Ankeniheny-Zahamena Corridor, which is renowned for its high species endemism and unique biodiversity. The Association wo

Anja Miray was established in 1999 in response to the degradation and clearing of local forests, the sedimentation of water resources, and the loss of wildlife such as ring-tailed lemurs, chameleons, and tropical birds.  The association operates a 30-hectare community forest reserve in the Haute Matsiatra region of the country. 

The community has established an ecotourism init

Association des Pêcheurs de la Communauté Rurale de Mangagoulack (APCRM, Fishers' Association of the Rural Community of Mangagoulack) – established by fishers from eight villages in central Casamance – manages a community conserved area with the aim of improving local incomes, strengthening food security and sovereignty, and protecting biodiversity.  The associatio

Equator Prize for Sustainable Land Management in Sub-Saharan Africa

Family farming and mushroom cultivation are the twin tools of Association des Pépiniéristes et Planteurs de Tône-Ouest (Association of Nursery Workers and Horticulturists of West Tône) in responding to the land degradation, low agricultural yields,

Equator Prize for Sustainable Land Management in Sub-Saharan Africa

Association Tchadienne des Volontaires pour la Protection de l'Environnement was developed to address land and resource rights for women, in response to drought, desertification, and land degradation, and focuses on training in ecosystem restoration, drought preparedness, an

Equator Prize for Sustainable Land Management in Sub-Saharan Africa

Developed in response to water scarcity, environmental degradation, declining agricultural yields and high rates of poverty, Association Zoramb Naagtaaba (AZN, Zoramb Naagtaaba Association) brings together 10 villages to restore degraded land through the reintroduction of tr

Café la Selva is a chain of cafés that sell organically and sustainably grown coffee from indigenous Tojolabal and Tzeltales farming communities located in the state of Chiapas, Mexico. This pioneering initiative has taken advantage of growing international demand for sustainable, ethically-sourced coffee, and now has cafés in Europe and the United States. Profits from the enterprise have al

The Camalandaan Agroforestry Farmers' Association works to conserve fragments of lowland limestone forest on the Philippines island of Negros through on-farm tree conservation in the Southern Cauayan Municipal Forest and Watershed Reserve. The association is made up of local farmers who have been allocated rights to plots of land by the government as part of a community-based forest management

Centre de Ressources en Agroforesterie de Riba (Riba Agroforestry Resource Centre) is a community-based organization working in mountainous northwest Cameroon, close to Kilum-Ijim Mountain Forest. The Centre promotes sustainable tree-based farming to rehabilitate watersheds and degraded land and generate income for the local community. A rural resource centre provides training in agroforestry a

To combat high rural unemployment and the outflow of farmers to urban centres, Centre d’Appui au Developpement Integral Mbankana (CADIM, Mbankana Centre for Integrated Development) trains farmers in agroforestry and afforestation techniques that restore soil fertility and boost agricultural production. The group’s afforestation efforts have reduced exploitative pressure on the

Chibememe Earth Healing Association (CHIEHA) is a community-based initiative centered on the small village of Chibememe, in Masvingo province, Zimbabwe. Arising in response to habitat destruction and deforestation in the Zivambava Island forest and the Chibememe mainland forest, the organization’s work has been driven by the 17 households that make up Chibememe community. Its work has spr

This collective brings together women’s groups from communities bordering the Popenguine Nature Reserve, a 1,000-hectare coastal reserve located in the Thies region of Senegal. Since the creation of the reserve in 1986 to prevent over-harvesting of marine resources and degradation of mangrove forests, the park’s authorities have sought to involve local communities in its management.

This women-led initiative arose in 1998 in response to the devastating effects of Hurricane Mitch on sixteen agrarian Garifuna communities. These peoples of Afro-indigenous descent have traditionally been socioeconomically marginalized in Honduras, and their agricultural livelihoods were hard hit by the loss of 70% of the country's crops due to heavy flooding.

Beyond initial disaster re

In a coastal region of Honduras that has some of the highest rates of poverty in Latin America and that is facing severe environmental threats from the shrimp farming, sugar cane, and commercial fishing industries, Comité para la Defensa y Desarrollo de la Flora y Fauna del Golfo de Fonseca (CODDEFFAGOLF) has been a force for positive change over the last 20 years. With a focus on protec

Sri Lanka's Community Development Centre (CDC) has worked to improve rural livelihoods through conservation of indigenous tuber varieties using seed banks managed by women-led self-help groups. Local technologies are used for seed production, with training on in-situ conservation of native varieties on individual land parcels. These self-help cooperatives are organized into federations of aroun

The Luangwa Valley region of Zambia is the setting for a pioneering initiative that is transforming the local economy and reducing human pressures on the valley's wildlife. Led by the Wildlife Conservation Society, COMACO has brought about substantial livelihoods and conservation benefits through a producer group model of collective learning, reaching more than 40,000 farming households with tr

The CBIRD Centre in the village of Sub Tai, in the Pak Chong District of north-eastern Thailand, is one of many such centres across the country, launched by Thailand's Population and Community Development Association in the mid-1980s. These Community-Based Integrated Rural Development Centres confront the twin challenges of low economic development and biodiversity loss through the participatio

An indigenous community conserved area, Comunidad Indígena de Manquemapu (Indigenous Community of Manquemapu) works to promote sustainable forest management and marine resource conservation as a way of meeting the economic needs of resident indigenous communities. Born in response to external threats from extractive industries, this community-based group manages a large area of alerche f

In the heart of one of the most biodiverse areas of Bolivia, Consejo Indígena del Pueblo Tacana has secured collective land title to more than 389,300 hectares of forest for the Tacana people. After successfully presenting their land claim to the government of Bolivia, the group built consensus on land use and natural resource management amongst the 20 commun

The Department of Cauca in southern Colombia has suffered from years of armed guerilla conflict, which has left a struggling local economy and high levels of poverty in its wake. The Consorcio Interinstitucional para una Agricultura Sostenible En Ladera (CIPASLA, Inter-institutional Consortium for Sustainable Agriculture) has worked since 1993 to make local agriculture more profitable and

The village of Saga, located south of Niamey on the banks of the Niger River, was the initial setting for an innovative experiment in converting a troublesome invasive species in the river basin into an economic opportunity for the local community. Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) has clogged local irrigation systems, limited navigability of the river, restricted access to local markets, a

The Farmers' Association for Rural Upliftment (FARU) is an initiative of the Chananaw indigenous people of Kalinga Province in the Philippines. The initiative aims to protect the environmental integrity of the Chananaw's ancestral domain through improved land management and more efficient agricultural techniques. Catalysts for the formation of the initiative included large-scale mining and geot

Equator Prize for Sustainable Land Management in Sub-Saharan Africa

Fédération des Unions de Producteurs de Maradi Gaskiya (FUMA Gaskiya, Gaskiya Federation of Maradi Farmers Unions) is a research-driven initiative that is bringing agro-ecological options to smallholder farmers. Composed of 17 unions, 325 self-help groups,

The Fédération Régionale des Groupements de Promotion Féminine de la Région de Ziguinchor (FRGPF-Z) has worked since the late 1980s in southwestern Ziguinchor, in a region known as Lower Casamance. The region's wealth of vegetation makes it an important forest reserve in Senegal, including the country's largest population of mangroves.

Twin threats of

Fikambanan’ny Terak’i Manambolo (FITEMA, Association of Manambolo Natives) has used the reintroduction of an indigenous land use system to help conserve forests and wetlands in the 7,500-hectare Manambolo Valley – a forest corridor which joins the Andringitra and Ranomafana National Parks – while improving food security for local communities. The valley's forests are hom

In 1975, Kahuzi-Biega National Park expanded from 60,000 to 600,000 hectares of forest in eastern DRC. The newly-incorporated lowland forest was home to the endangered Eastern Lowland gorilla (Gorilla Beringei graueri), as well as many indigenous Batwa communities. These communities were forcefully relocated by the expansion of the park, depriving them of a source of local livelihoods, food, an

This trans-border indigenous peoples alliance came together in 2004 to build on the shared historical and cultural bonds between the Lundayeh, Kelabit, Lun Bawang, and Sa'ban peoples living in the highlands of the heart of Borneo. The Alliance of the Indigenous Peoples of the Highlands in the Heart of Borneo (FORMADAT) aims to integrate conservation and development at the landscape level and to

Fundación para la Agricultura Tropical Alternativa y el Desarrollo Integral (FUNDATADI, Foundation for Alternative Tropical Agriculture and Sustainable Development) works with rural Piedemonte Andino communities in Barinas, Venezuela, with the aim of conserving local forests while promoting sustainable community development. Agricultural diversification is promoted through the organic cu

With the aim of preserving seed diversity and genetic heritage, encouraging the adoption of organic farming practices, and improving rural livelihoods, GREEN Foundation works through around 40 farmers' groups – termed Krishi Self-Help Groups – covering 30 villages across the northern districts of Karnataka, comprising a target population of almost 5,000 farmers, with a particular fo

Formed in response to a 1998 Lashihai dam project that flooded large areas of farmland and left the Yi indigenous people displaced, Green Watershed has become a model of indigenous self-organization and participatory watershed management. The group responded to displacement by founding four autonomous organizations for sustainable resource management, each of which have achieved remarkable resu

Grupo de Estudios Ambientales y Sociales A.C. (GEA, Environmental and Social Studies Group) operates in the central mountain region of Guerrero promoting local access to safe water and training communities in sustainable land management.  The organization has reforested more than 500 hectares of land in an important watershed, established more than 60 organic farms, and undertaken terracin

Equator Prize for Sustainable Land Management in Sub-Saharan Africa

Since 2001 Heiveld Co-operative has worked with small-scale rooibos tea farmers to provide organic and fair trade certification, as well as support with market access. In response to climate variability, farmers are cultivating drought-resistant varieties of rooibos. Collabo

The Shinyanga Soil Conservation Programme, better known by its Swahili acronym HASHI (Hifadhi Ardhi Shinyanga) ran from 1986 to 2004, with the aim of restoring the degraded Shinyanga region of northwest Tanzania. Christened the "Desert of Tanzania" in the mid-1980s by President Julius Nyerere, the region's miombo woodland had been decimated by decades of forest clearing (partly for tsetse fly e

Fiji’s Sisi Initiative manages natural resources around the periphery of the Natewa Tunuloa Important Bird Area.  The organization has established a 600-hectare community protected forest and developed alternative livelihood options for the area’s indigenous landowners.  Developed in response to illegal logging, forest fires, overgrazing, agricultural encroachment and inva

Since the late-1970s, local NGO Asociación ANAI has promoted sustainable farming practices in rural communities living within the Talamanca region of Costa Rica. Home to one-third of the country's indigenous people, the canton ranks lowest in many key socioeconomic indicators, including human development, yet is home to some of the country's richest biodiversity. This natural heritage wa

Instituto Raoni is the organizational face of the Kayapó, a Brazilian indigenous group that is leading the fight against unfettered deforestation of the Amazon. The group uses an innovative media strategy called the 'video warriors' project to document illegal logging in their territory and increase accountability in the most remote regions of the Amazon rainforest. Instituto Raoni also

Equator Prize for Sustainable Land Management in Sub-Saharan Africa

By equipping women with financial and technical resources to restore degraded lands and develop small-scale enterprises, Integrated Development in Focus is improving crop yields and local incomes. Women-led groups have planted three million trees and restored 350 hectares of

Developed in response to land degradation, natural disasters, and irregular water supply, Jeffrey Town Farmers Association employs diverse approaches to inform and educate farming communities on alternative energy options, sustainable agriculture techniques, and disaster risk reduction. The association focuses on land restoration, water harvesting, and organic farming. Fruit-bearing trees are p

Equator Prize for Sustainable Land Management in Sub-Saharan Africa

Reaching over 10,000 small-scale farmers, Kasisi Agricultural Training Centre provides agricultural extension services, research, and support marketing local products to local farmers. Demonstration plots are used for hands-on learning and for agricultural research. The cent

Operating adjacent to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, one of Uganda’s oldest rainforests and home to 50 percent of the world’s mountain gorillas, Kayonza Growers Tea Factory is a for-profit community enterprise, 100 percent owned by its 7,205 smallholder tea farmers. Facing deforestation, wetland encroachment, soil degradation, and water shortages, the initiative has worked to en

Komunitas Adat Muara Tae is a community of Dayak people in Kalimantan fighting for the protection of their customary forests.  Of their original 11,000 hectares of land, only 4,000 hectares remain, the rest having been lost to illegal clear-cutting by palm oil, mining, and logging companies. Through community mapping, demarcation of their traditional territory, and advocacy with government

The Komunitas Ngata Toro's 22,300 hectares of traditional lands lie partly within Lore Lindu National Park, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve located on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. Since 1993, two local organizations have worked to strengthen traditions, customary laws, and local institutions for sustainable use of forest, land and water resources.

The Organization for the Indigenous Wo

Founded by Mayan women, Koolel-Kab/Muuchkambal is an organic farming and agroforestry initiative that works on forest conservation (they established a 5,000-hectare community forest), promoting indigenous land rights, environmental education, and community-level disaster risk reduction strategies. The association advocates for public policies that stop deforestation and offer alternatives to in

The village of Phu An, located north of Saigon, was heavily bombed during the Viet Nam War. Làng tre Phú An (Bamboo Village of Phu An) has created an Eco-Museum of Bamboo and Botanical Conservatory with the aim of conserving biodiversity, protecting the region's bamboo forests, andhelping to "transform the iron triangle into a green triangle." The initiative carries out conservati

An organic farming cooperative developed to transition away from tobacco cultivation and chemical-intensive agriculture, Makoni Organic Farmers Association is an initiative of 450 farmers trained in organic farming. The association uses a three-pronged approach that includes capacity building; scaling of good farming practices in apiculture, mushroom cultivation, poultry rearing, and tree nurse

Pafuri Camp is a community-led ecotourism initiative in the northern part of the Kruger National Park that provides a wide range of activities, including game drives, night drives, walks and wildlife hides. Revenues from Pafuri Camp are used in both community development projects, as well as biodiversity conservation initiatives.

Pafuri Camp takes a participatory approach to ecotourism,

Mara River Water Users Association is a community-based water resources management organization whose primary objectives are to promote the protection and conservation of the Mara Catchment area, support the sustainable and efficient use of water, assist relevant authorities with water resources management and issuance of water use permits, and water conflict resolution.

The Association

This coalition of Maya organizations and leaders collectively work to promote the long-term wellbeing of the Maya people and to defend collective rights to their territories. The alliance achieved a landmark legal victory in 2015, which affirmed that the 39 Q’eqchi and Mopan Maya indigenous communities of southern Belize have rights to the lands that they have historically used and occupi

The Medicinal Plants Association protects and cultivates endemic species of medicinal plants in the St. Catherine Reserve in Sinai and aims to create livelihood alternatives for the area’s economically marginalized Bedouin population.  The reserve contains several unique and endangered medicinal plant species which have been threatened by overharvesting, collection for use as fuel, and overg

The Medicinal Plants Conservation Centre encourages conservation, supports local livelihoods, and improves the health of rural communities in the Indian state of Maharashtra, focusing on the revitalization of traditional health practices and the use of medicinal plants. In cooperation with the state Forest Department, and with local communities in the lead, MPCC uses nurseries and commercial he

An initiative focused on yam cultivation, Mouvman Peyizan 3e Seksyon Kanperen (MP3K, Peasant Movement of the 3rd Section of Camp Perrin) works with more than 1,500 farmers to build technical capacity, improve food security, facilitate access to seeds, and otherwise improve on-farm productivity. More than 500,000 yam seedlings have been distributed to local yam producers, along with training on

Facing a proposal by the Brazilian government to build a large dam complex on the Tapajós River that would submerge their vast territories, which span one million hectares of primary rainforest, the Munduruku of the Brazilian Amazon formed a resistance movement called Ipereg Ayu. Ipereg Ayu, in local language, means “I am strong, I know how to protect myself”.  Designed

Mradi Wa Mfuko Wa Dhamana Ya Hifadhi Ya Mazingira Na Wamasai Jangwani (MWCT, Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust) preserves the wilderness, wildlife, and cultural heritage of the Amboseli-Tsavo ecosystem – an important migration corridor between two national parks.  The organization of Maasai communities has mitigated unsustainable practices such as overgrazing and water-intens

This national network of community-based forest management groups provides capacity building, communications, and advocacy support for local communities with the aim of improving their participation in the management and utilization of local forests. Mtandao wa Jamii wa Usimamizi wa Misitu Tanzania (MJUMITA) is a constantly expanding federation that has 80 affiliated community networks and memb

An indigenous federation that represents the Miskitus of the Honduran Mosquitia, MASTA works to protect indigenous territorial rights and culture, strengthen local governance and natural resource management, and improve regional health and education systems.  The group protects a large part of the remaining intact rainforest in Honduras, approximately 1.2 million hectares or 7 percent of t

The Marshall Islands is one of the most vulnerable nations in the world to the impacts of climate change and has economies that are dependent on declining fisheries. Comité des ressources locales de l’atoll de Namdrik is promoting a model of community self-sufficiency, local food security and adaptation.  Traditional crops such as breadfruit, taro and native pandanus have been

Nguzobe Ndi-Oji-Obere (Smallholders Foundation) promotes sustainable agriculture and environmental conservation through educational radio programmes. Smallholder Farmers Rural Radio broadcasts daily programs on agricultural management, environmental conservation, and market access, which reach over 250,000 smallholder farmers. Broadcasts are done in the local Igbo language, and reach listeners

Extreme weather and droughts have historically brought the Borena and Gabra pastoral tribes into conflict over pasture land, water, and natural resources. The Oromia Pastoralist Association (OPA) was created to facilitate the cross-border mobility of pastoralist tribes between Southern Ethiopia and Northern Kenya and is helping to address land disputes, resource conflicts, and the barriers thes

Pederasyon sa Nagkahiusang mga Mag-uuma nga Nanalipud ug Nagpasig-uli sa Kinaiyahan (PENAGMANNAK) is a federation of seventeen peoples' organizations – self-help groups or cooperatives – working to conserve biodiversity in the Mt. Talinis area of Negro Oriental province. With their roots in the Mt. Talinis and Twin Lakes Biodiversity Conservation project (1996-1999), these groups' early act

This community-based organization operates in the forests of the Malaysian state of Sarawak. While the customary land rights of the association's indigenous Kayan people are recognized by the Malaysian government, many lands have not been officially demarcated, making them vulnerable to conflicting claims from outside interests. Members of the association work with GIS survey and mapping techno

This NGO mobilizes local communities in western and southwestern Mali to sustainably manage natural resources and protect biodiversity. Since 2003, the initiative has implemented a wide range of activities, including the protection of wildlife and fauna species, combating the use of polluting substances, and improving land management and access to water for local communities.

One key in

Working to protect a 500,000-hectare forest in the Cambodian lowlands – the largest primary lowland evergreen forest remaining in the country – Prey Lang Community Network is an alliance of indigenous Kuy communities that is using communications technologies to document forest crime. Since 2007, the network has advocated against illegal logging and large

Programa de Campesino a Campesino has operated throughout Nicaragua since the post-war period of the early 1990s, as part of the worldwide Via Campesina movement which advocates for food sovereignty, agrarian reform, and democratic governance of food production systems.

The Farmer-to-Farmer Program in the northern municipality of Siuna is one of sixty-five such programs in Nicaragua whi

The Proyecto Nasa (Nasa Project) aims to increase the political and organizational capacity of Colombia's indigenous Páez peoples, who have been disproportionately affected by violence in the Cauca region. By strengthening regional political autonomy and exercising their political rights, the indigenous groups involved in the project have successfully lobbied for access to a greater shar

In 1996, six women from the small communities of Tanado and Samurindo in the Chocó Region of Colombia partnered with an environmental NGO to add value to the harvesting and processing of aromatic and medicinal plants. Low prices and the time spent in collecting these plants made this traditional livelihood a relatively unproductive activity. With training and funding support, this women

In one of the most remote and poorest provinces in Afghanistan, the Rural Green Environment Organization is working with over 40,000 people across an area of 1,500 square kilometers and 90 villages to promote a model of community development that is based on peace building, environmental regeneration, sustainable livelihoods, and wildlife prot

The Committee for People's Rights (Podujana Himikam Kamituwa), a local NGO based in Kalutara District, southwestern Sri Lanka, has pioneered the reintroduction of rush and reed species to household paddy fields for processing into value-added handicraft products.

The Rush and Reed Conservation and Diversification Program aims to ensure the sustainable use of natural resources, to protec

Shashwat is a grassroots initiative that was developed in response to the displacement of Koli Mahadeo, Thakars, and Katkaris tribal peoples by construction of the Dimbhe dam, which submerged eleven villages and destroyed cropland in another thirteen.  The organization helps local communities to develop small-scale fishing activities in the dam reservoir, and improve agricultural productio

In the low-lying northwestern region of Bangladesh, a mosaic of wetland ponds and waterways make travel extremely difficult, particularly during the monsoon season when extensive flooding occurs. To address this challenge, Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha operates a fleet of 54 solar-powered boats to deliver services that range from schools to agricultural extension centers. The vessels are able to

A federation of Wapichan communities in Guyana, South Central People's Development Association has developed an innovative land use plan and a 'living digital map' of their traditional lands to promote secure land rights and socioecological resilience. Community mapping teams create territorial maps that are used to make land claims and devise collective land use plans for the forest, mountain,

Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society (SLWCS) works to enable communities across the country to balance ecosystem protection and economic development by exploring ways to resolve human-elephant conflict through community development, capacity building, and research.

Recognizing that one of the biggest threats to elephants in Sri Lanka is conflict with humans, often through crop r

Swazi Indigenous Products is a member-owned natural seed oil enterprise that provides jobs and income to local women, while also protecting the ecosystems of the Lubombo region of the country.  Local women are supported to sustainably cultivate and collect wild marula, trichilia, and ximenia tree seeds.  The women-led initiative also runs a tree-planting program and offers environmental educa

The M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) was concerned about the rapid depletion of rice diversity in the Jeypore tract of the Indian state of Orissa, once the home of the largest number of rice varieties in India. In 1998, the foundation undertook to improve the condition of poor farmers while revitalizing vanishing rice varieties, combining modern and traditional approaches for the co

The remote communities of Ecuador's inter-Andean valleys have long faced the twin challenges of food insecurity and environmental degradation. Malnutrition affects approximately 40 per cent of the region's population, and farmers receive limited technological and economic support from formal institutions. The Unión de Organizaciones Campesinas e Indígenas de Cotacachi (UNORCAC, Un

Equator Prize for Sustainable Land Management in Sub-Saharan Africa

In the buffer zone of the Pendjari Biosphere Reserve in northwest Benin, Union des Associations Villageoises de Gestion des Réserves de Faune de la Pendjari (AVIGREF, Union of Village Associations for the Managem

One of the oldest non-profit organizations in the State of Palestine, the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) supports Palestinian farmers to attain food sovereignty. UAWC works with farmers across Palestine, including vulnerable groups in remote and marginalized areas, to restore and conserve natural resources and rights to access these resources through four main program areas: land

Union Soamitambatra is using a traditional consensus-based Malagasy governance system, known as fokonolona, and community social contracts, known as dina, to regenerate the Badika forest and its surrounding lakes. Working with 6,589 people across ten villages, the union brings together community user groups, technical experts, municipal government, and private sector partners

West Africa Initiative of Liberia (WAIOL) promotes apiculture, snail raising, and the planting of multi-purpose tree species to improve the livelihood options of unemployed rural farmers.  Local farmers are provided with training in all three livelihood activities and provided with a starter kit containing beehives, snail cages, basic carpentry tools, and moringa tree seedlings. From an in

In the midst of armed conflict, the Inga indigenous peoples of Aponte – a population of 3,600 – successfully fought to recover their sovereignty and rights ove

In collaboration with 40 villages in the northern-central district of Timor, Yayasan Mitra Tani Mandiri aims to develop sustainable agricultural systems to increase productivity and provide alternative sources of income, with the aim of helping communities develop economic independence.

A sustainable agriculture and fair marketing initiative provides a collective marketing option for lo

Zan va Zamin (Women and Earth) was founded by a group of female activists to overcome the social and economic challenges resulting from the civil war in Tajikistan. The organization works to attain access to land for landless farmers, supports diversified farming methods, and promotes the conservation of biodiversity through responsible natural resource management. Over 2,000 farmers have recei

Zenab for Women in Development is a grassroots organization that has organized local women into a farmers union.  Started in 2005, the union has grown from 300 women in six communities to 3,000 women in 53 communities across Sudan.  Smaller cooperatives make up the larger union, each of which provides a platform for female farmers to improve agricultural productivity and to exchange environme