Community development (Environmental awareness, volunteer opportunities, and skill trainings)

Environmental education: raised environmental awareness among community members and helped them better understand the balance between ecology and development through environmental education workshops.

 

Volunteer opportunities: the promotion of dry farming has led thousands of farmers in the surrounding communities to participate in the project, to be engaged throughout the process of trial planting, adaptation & adjustment as seen fit, and harvesting. They did not need to test out the effects in their own fields.

 

Skill trainings: improved the ability of the community to apply new technologies and new models to farming and herding methods. Assisted the community to set up new cooperatives.

  • The local village council provided strong support that enabled local farmers to attend the workshop and training sessions.
  • Workshops and trainings taking place in their villages and at times that were convenient for the whole family, made it possible for more farmers to attend, without having to travel far.
  • The poverty elimination campaign from the government helped raise the awareness of the community that skills training would lead to better income – and therefore more willing to learn.

Ecological restoration effort only can be maintained if the local communities understand the relationship between good ecology and their daily life, particularly when daily production includes land management through farming and herding. Improving the community’s environmental awareness and building skills around sustainable farming, while respecting their culture and valuing their knowledge in the field, made it possible for people and nature to prosper together