Positioning women´s groups as agents of change

The adoption of a gender equality focus in the project provided an opportunity to take into account the perceptions and concerns of women. In women-only workshops, their social vulnerability in the form of family violence, crime and drug addiction, was recognised. Moreover, the workshops made evident their desire to participate in project activities that would mean an improvement in the quality of life for their families. Their resulting participation was manifold. For example, in order to secure access to potable water, the women´s group from the community of Las Coloradas got capacitated in the technology needed for the operation of rainwater capture systems as well as water purification equipment. Additionally, the women created the social enterprise “Drops of Love” by which they could provide potable water to the primary school and nursery, whilst selling the remaining water to families in the community.

By way of a further example, after women from the community of El Mingo got themselves capacitated in construction and eco-tech, they formed the group “The Breeze of El Mingo” so that they could take part in the construction of palafitos to protect, in times of disaster, goods and property belonging to the 80 families in the community.

  • Being able to identify from the beginning of the project the needs, vulnerabilities and capacities of local women, and thereby integrating them well into the adaptation measures design
  • Workshops for reflection about adaptation measures that promoted the continued commitment of women to participate in the project
  • A growing spirit of pride and entrepreneurship on the part of the women of the communties
  • Committed and consistent support from experienced, local NGOs
  • Capacitated and adaptation-aware women are a source of enthusiasm, motivation and drive for the effective implementation of projects that support improvements in family life;
  • Empowerment of women cannot happen just through their participation in workshops; their continuous mentoring, by local facilitators, in the medium to long-term is vital for the sustainability of projects;
  • Participation of women in the project stimulated their active participation in activities beyond the project;
  • In communities where there is a deep divide between activities undertaken by men and women, treating gender equality as a matter of identifying women´s projects, alone, can lead to the risk that important productive issues to do with community livelihoods may be missed in measures implemented. A gender responsive approach to community adaptation planning that considers adaptation measures from both male and female perspectives is an effective approach for ensuring that both women´s and men´s activities are supported through adaptation.
Transparency, Accountability, Accuracy, Completeness and Third Party Independent Registry

At Porto Bonito Farm, the project promotes wildlife breeding, wild animals rehabilitation and releasing, recovering of fisheries, seed selection, nursery and planting of native trees species of local occurrence, farming of pollinators, rehabilitation of scenic beauty, environmental education and recreation for visitors, partners, participating companies, students and others. Porto Bonito was first approached in 2008 – it used to be a cattle ranch, and in 2012 the project started accepting participants. Staff is trained to measure, report and verify MRV the environmental credits being generated from management practices, as the forest carbon credits. The project promotes reforestation at grassland and degraded areas to restore biodiversity and increase carbon sequestration and storage, generating forest carbon credits. Those credits transferred to participating companies. All process registered independently at the Mato Grosso State Platform for Business with Environmental and Ecosystem Goods and Services (www.pnbsae.com.br).

Staff with capacities to develop MRV methodologies and local infrastructure allowing for the training of consultants and auditors. the existence of the platform for independent registry at Mato Grosso State. local infrastructure for project difusion and dissemination, facilities allowing for visitors to access the location and sites.

It is necessary to provide specific training and needed resources to make climate change a palatable theme to professionals and general public. we did various training sessions and participate at many different events over 5 years of activities implementation before reaching a level of common understading with the independent registry and having a smooth flow of documents and process. much attention is need on articulating and promoting adequate partnerships and investments must be done towards promoting joint initiatives, meetings, conferences and similar difusion and dissemination activities.

Prime Property Fraction of CSR program

Green Farm CO2FREE (www.greenfarmco2free.com.br) developed the prime property fraction concept to conservation, creating a CSR club for participating companies. With that approach at finance, it invests on providing ecosystem services to participating companies, including carbon, water, biodiversity, green marketing and others.

a prime property located within the buffer zone of a National Park, well preserved and large enough to allow implementing of large scale conservation and enhancement of ecosystem services to companies and other interested parties. CSR programs under planning, development or implementation phase by companies and other interested parties

Companies are willing to invest on CSR programs but they lack the adequate knowledge / skills to identify, amongs available opportunities, the ones with best results in terms of both, marketing and environment positive impacts. There is a major effort on marketing your own project and its benefits before reaching the right audhience, and the decision must come from high adminstrative levels. usually managers and other personal/staff tend to avoid participation on long term thrird parties project activities due to the sense of self=preservation (when the external agent is sucessfull it feels like the internal staff is no needed anymore). in order to avoid this we now look into interacting and letting the solution be designed by internal staff itself, making them project owners.

Mainstreaming integrative forest management

For the successful application of the approach, sustainable and integrative forest management needs not only to be piloted and practiced on the ground but also integrated into national strategies, development plans, and long-term forest management planning and monitoring. Consequently, it is equally important to work with forest tenants on the local level as to mainstream the approach on the national level.

The Join Forest Management approach has been anchored in the Forest Code of Tajikistan in 2011. This builds the legal basis of the implementation and accelerates the further dissemination to other parts of the country. Since 2016, a more integrative forest management is practiced for which an inter-sectoral dialogue has been established. This inter-sectoral dialogue facilitates to address environmental, economic and social challenges beyond the mandate of the forest agency. Forest monitoring and management planning are being strengthened through support to the forest inspection unit. Only if a forest management planning system and a forest monitoring structure are in place, an approach such as the integrative forest approach can be out scaled throughout the country and mismanagement, corruption, and wide-scale violations of regulations (e.g. grazing on forest plots) prevented. 

The JFM approach follows a multilevel approach, targeting national, regional and local level which has proven to be necessary and consequently successful.

A theoretically sound solution can only be as good in practice as its underlying management planning and monitoring system as well as its political support.

• Choosing to plant threatened indigenous trees for high value timber

Overharvesting in Tanzania in general and in this area's forests which lie within the adjacent Mt. Meru National Park have contributed to the threatened status of nationally treasured species such as Dalbergia, Khaya, Afzelia, Millettia, Podocarpus, & Juniper spp.  The capacities of the communities were built with the help of NGOs but the initiative was implemented as a participatory action research in which villagers led the collaboration with the NGOs in a supportive role.

The community recognized that some of these species are hard to find,and illegal to harvest in the wild. They  identified multiple solutions including soil conservation measures and planting of these indigenous trees in their fields. They combined this with land use planning with local bylaws to be monitored and enforced by village environment committees, water source restoration using indigenous trees, and planting of grasses along soil & water conservation measures in farmers’ fields.

1 - A facilitating approach rather than directives let to voluntary formation of village by-laws in support of land use & natural resource management; two plans have been recognized by the district to date.

2 - Facilitation included training on measuring of contours and establishing grasses for livestock fodder, thus bringing multiple benefits: to conserve water and soil; in one village, gathering water from roads into field contours instead of the opposite (this idea still needs more promotion as farmers fear the effects of too much runoff water entering their fields.)

3 - The NGOs worked with the communities to find solutions and develop activities which they themselves identified. These discussions created ownership and led them to address other challenges.

Wellbeing

FPP considers fundamental for the implementation of projects: achieving the basic needs and the improvement of the living conditions of the community, it has the endorsement of it. So it is essential to build bonds of trust with its participants, local authorities and community leaders.

 

The satisfaction of basic is necessary to improve life conditions of families and communities; which creates accurate conditions to self-sufficiency as well the design of local projects that contribute to their development beyond wellbeing.

 

Having these situations will generate projects oriented to the generation of income with local resources that will establish the bases to achieve self-sufficiency and their empowerment. Also, from this process the community will carry out actions for the management of high impact projects with and other instances. After having finalized the knowledge and skills for the design, execution and monitoring of local and regional development plans.

  • Participants with a communitarian vision on long term which permits identify the goals to achieve development.
  • Commitment from participants with the project, the process and the work.
  • Trainings and farming models design according with the region to achieve best yields.
  • Know the ES that each region offers in order to insert it in a value chain which permits better incomes for farmers.
  • People could receive benefits to reach wellbeing, but they have to participate actively and share the compromise to work inside this scheme.
  • We have to identify the options to insert the products in the best market, and that market has to have the same values as farmers.
  • We have to determine with community how far we can go in a period of time with the project, to identify the goals, indicators and impacts of the project.
  • We have to identify secondary products and identify the diversification of the work for non-farmers families.
  • We must include young people and children in the process of identify goals for the community.
Co-management of Soariake MPA

Soariake is an IUCN category VI MPA, that aims at protecting natural ecosystems while allowing the sustainable use of natural resources. It is currently co-managed by WCS and local community gathered in Soariake Association.

Local communities are at the same time actors and victims of overfishing.  As MPA co-manager, WCS  is in charge of scientific research and monitoring to assess the value of the site, communicate, raise awareness and support local communities to identify and implement suitable conservation measures, identifying alternatives to better manage natural resources, and identifying key partners if needed. WCS also provides capacity building in terms of project management, social organization and fishing regulation; thus ensuring the integrity of the MPA and the livelihoods of the communities.

WCS also supports the local community to define different zoning of the MPA, local conventions on resource management, ensure patrolling through Community Control and Surveillance, collect  fish catch data, and promote alternatives that are environmental friendly.

Community involvement in the management of the MPA is key to build a local ownership, one pillar to warrant sustainability of on ground activities.

  • Building a long term partnership between WCS and the local community to seek for sustainability: a project approach will raise an opportunistic feelings among local community which does not help achieving conservation and development objectives;

 

  • Maintaining support while ensuring the local community would not become dependent on WCS: capacity building, technical support during the implementation of the activities aim ensuring that in the future local community will be able to implement the activities by themselves;
  • Once the industry is developed in a village and the farmers increase, organizational support is also crucial to help farmers organize production, maintain quality standards, negotiate with the private sector, managing the community equipment, ensuring socio-economic monitoring among farmers, and supporting households in managing their income so as to make sure that the benefit from the aquaculture brings advantages to the family;

 

  • Fighting illiteracy should be part of the activity to consider while promoting co-management so as to facilitate the implementation of regulation, the negotiation with partners, to better involved in rural entrepreneurship
Collaboration with any and all Private and Public Organizations who share the same concern for health, environment and the welfare of farmers and their communities

Global warming and climate-change is a global issue and solutions to avert climate change from tipping over and slow down global warming should likewise be global in nature.   

 

"While we are relatively small individually…I believe that working together for a greater purpose, we can achieve our goals; many in body and one in mind." Ken Lee, Lotus Foods.

 

 ZIDOFA's attainment of near completed status for the targetted closed-loop organic SRI rice value chain in the span of just two years despite the absence of a resident sponsoring NGO or support organization is attributable to its strategic partnerships with both private organizations and government agencies.  As such, the various components of the value chain, mainly infrastructure, logistical and equipment support were granted by varying organizations and agencies.

 

At the start of the project, ZIDOFA submitted the Project Plan to as many private and government entities as possible and a year after project start, also submitted Executive Briefs to heads of agencies outlining the milestones, achievements and constraints met by the farmers.  As such, by year two, the concerned organizations and agencies were well aware of the project and eventually became project partners thereby setting an unprecedented model for convergence.

 

 

Communication channels established early on 

Sharing the Mission and Vision and Objectives of the Project to stakeholders 

Sharing not just achieved milestones but challenges and obstacles as well in clear manner

Transparency and regular and prompt progress reports 

Focus on farmers, health and environment with no political, religious or other leanings. 

 

Scope should be local, national and global 

Need for a physical office is imperative.

A communications officer and liason team should be put in place. 

Funds for communication should be allotted and secured

Project meetings and reports should be well organized, archived and backed up.

 

Creation of a Mission and Vision by Members

To make sure the project stayed on track to its aim and commitment to provide safe, affordable and healthy food for consumers, restore, protect and conserve biodiversity and to promote farmers' welfare, ZIDOFA farmers were actively engaged in the creation of ZIDOFA's Mission and Vision Statements by conducting a Strategic Plannig workshop by CORE, Philippines.  Additionally, a Communications Planning workshop was conducted by leading communications and media experts to ensure that ZIDOFA members were on the same page on how to market SRI as well as its flagship product, the Oregena (abbreviation for Organic REGENerative Agriculture) line of organic SRI Rices.
 

The ZIDOFA Mission: To advance holistic, farmer-managed and environment-friendly programs utilizing leading edge processes promoting quality agricultural and aquaculture products

 

The ZIDOFA Vision: ZIDOFA envisions itself as a reputable producer of quality and globally competitive organic agriculture and aquaculture products. It envisions a resilient and productive community where families are healthy,  happy and living harmoniously in a sustainable environment.

Mission, Vision and Strategic Planning Workshop should be conducted at the start of the project. 


Protection of the Environment, Health and Farmers should be an integral and key phrase in the Mission and Vision

 

A Communications Planning workshop should be conducted for the farmers to level up on product promotion and marketing and to increase global competitiveness through consistency in product and project taglines.

All members should be regularly refreshed of the original Mission and Vision of the group and of the projects of the group 

 

Product quality, brand recogniztion  and promotion should be emphasized to and practiced by all in all phases of of product development from seed selection up to marketing. 

 

Simultaneous Solution Finding for All Components of the Value Chain in a Holistic Approach

As ZIDOFA farmers trained on SRI, training for organic fertilizer manufacture was also incorporated so that the organic inputs can be available once the cropping cycle started as and such, the farmers can focus on the SRI agronomic management principles instead of having to still worry about making organic inputs. 

 

As the ZIDOFA farmers started planting and cultivating their organic SRI rice plants, ZIDOFA was already seeking market linkages with potential customers for the upcoming harvested paddy rice and the eventual milled organic paddy rice. 

 

All throughout the chain of activities, ZIDOFA was aggressively joining national and regional exhibits as well as trade fairs in order to promote SRI and to increase public awareness on the benefits of organic pigmented rice as part of consumer diet. The environmental ramifications of organic-based SRI was also highlighted with ZIDOFA adopting the following tagline "That Farmers, Soils and Oceans May Live" in all its communications engagements including social media. 

 

All throught the cropping year, ZIDOFA submitted project proposals for its needed equipment and infrastructure and persistently followed up on their statuses

 

Continous seeking of funding sources.

 

 

Creation of an Operational and Project Plan

 

Assignment of tasks to Committees 

 

Fund, Resource and Manpower Availability

 

Physical office space for operational planning, execution, monitoring and evaluation

The need for administrative staff was highlighted as the work load can be overwhelming most times. 

 

The need for a physical office space is critical for communication flow and organizational planning. 

 

The need for and lack of operational funds was highlighted early on in the project