New forms of civil society are emerging in Cambodia including more informal social movements that are at the forefront of delivering change. New ways of communicating are explored by these groups who use a variety of new technologies, most notably mobile phones, Facebook, and Youtube. This is the case with PLCN as well.
Until recently, patrolling and documenting illegal logging was difficult and expensive due to the vast area with little infrastructure and lack of communication. To address this problem, an innovative partnership “Prey Lang: It’s Our Forest Too” was formed between PLCN, a social movement Community Peacebuilding Network (CPN), a peacebuilding organization Peace Bridges Organisation (PBO), the University of Copenhagen (KU), a Danish development organization (Danmission), and a local IT company (Web Essentials) in 2014. At a later stage, more organizations joined the initiative: The Cambodian Youth Network (CYN) as a youth activities support group and the Forest & Peoples Organization, an organization to support the data collection and dissemination as well as the communication of the results of the forest monitoring.
- The core of the initiative being the communities themselves with a number of local supporting organizations
- The support from international organizations
- Capacity development
- Peaceful conflict resolution
- Citizen science approach
- Intersection of science and conservation (forest monitoring for conservation AND scientific outputs
- Data ownership promotes community empowerment
- Local network of organizations important for community mobilization and capacity building
- International organizations important for networking, data dissemination, and raising awareness of the issues at the global level.
Possibility to record audio and take additional photos in Prey Lang app
PLCN
Categories of forest monitoring in Prey Lang app
PLCN
Categories of forest monitoring in Prey Lang app
PLCN
PLCN and partners developed an application for smartphones (the Prey Lang app), making it easy for local patrols to geo-reference, document, and upload information about forest resources, threatened biodiversity, and illegal activities. The data is used to document the importance of the forest to local livelihoods, international biodiversity conservation, and to report illegal activities to the authorities.
The Prey Lang app enables systematic data collection during patrols on valuable resources and the effects of illegal activities on biodiversity and the local livelihoods. Documentation is substantiated with GPS coordinates, photos and audio information.
The collected data is uploaded to a database, which can be accessed in Cambodia and by the University of Copenhagen. A database manager in coordination with students and researchers compile reports on the status of Prey Lang which are released at press conferences and published on the internet and via social media. Recently, a climate component has been added, enabling the patrollers to record signs of climate change and climate mitigation actions. In the latest version of the app a component to enhance the security of the patrollers was added. The new functionality allows PLCN members to report threats and instances of violence.
- The desire of communities to protect their ancestral lands
- The positioning of the communities in the core of the project: listening and delivering to their needs
- The presence of a structured organization
- The fact that patrolling activities were ongoing before the inception of the project.
-The existence of Sappeli (an open-source project that facilitates data collection across language or literacy barriers through highly configurable icon-driven user interfaces.)
Village Saving and Loan Scheme and External Partnerships
Kihembe Central TAG
Tree Uganda Academy
Kitazirimuka TAG
Tree Uganda Academy
UNDP team visits TUA
Tree Uganda Academy
The Board of a Consortium of CSOs to whict TUA is a member.
Tree Uganda Academy
The Village Savings and Loan Scheme is an IPaCoPA's sustainability strategy where members in their self-manage Groups meet regularly to save their money in a safe space and access small loans from the money collected among themselves to invest in livelihood projects at household level such as Agriculture and Solar energy. Because most individual members lack prerequisites to access loans from financial institutions, the VSLA scheme helps members to easily access finances and secure soft loans under group guarantorship. This supplements TUA's efforts to implement various aspects of the IPaCoPA initiative and to sustain the TUA's already supported projects such as looking after the trees planted and setting up kitchen gardens by households. With our external partners, key of them who include the District Local Government, UNDP, SAI Group UK, and Jade Products Ltd, we have been able to get endorsements, Capacity trainings, Digital Platforms such as Project Management systems and access to e-commerce, Funding (forexample from UNDP-Y4BF to support 500 youth in commercial farming of Chilli), and other resources which makes IPaCoPA operate in complete ecosystem.
Existence of clear objectives aligned to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that interest other organisations/Firms with similar or related objectives, and or philanthropic about what we intend to achieve through our objectives.
The zeal and enthusiasm by the team leader and the board to search for relevant partners and express interest for partnership.
Access to and ability to use internet enhanced with an organisational website “www.treeugandaacademy.com”
Upholding the organisational principles and values.
Building trust with partners and also determining the trustworthiness of those whom you partner with is paramount to sustain relevant and lasting partnerships. Concisely it’s important to develop clear agreements, be flexible and understand your partner’s language.
Partnership is a learning process therefore you need to be open order to learn from other partners, particularly local partners in areas where project activities are being implemented. Local partners have a lot to teach about the community needs and local context and how to develop and create more sustainable results.
Failures on some partnerships is inevitable, in case partnership fails, it is important to assess why the partnership failed, share and learn from those failures, reiterate and incorporate the lessons learned into the next partnership.
The success of our organisation and the IPaCoPA solution ain particular relies on strong partnerships. Developing a partnership mindset based on relationships is far important because even when the funded activities end, the relationship continues and there is an opportunity for sustainable support.
Magnificent Pineapple crop with no machinery/high inputs or agrochemicals
Mike Hands
Community-based innovation/local knowledge combined with science-based approaches are the best way to address problems of the rural poor. Smallholders in the tropics who have depended on slash and burn agriculture for generations want new ways to improve their lives-without crippling debt. Most all technology inputs in the global south require extensive infrastructure as most rural regions do not even have digital capablity or even cell phone service and families could not afford them even if they were available.
The simple planting techniques on Inga Alley Cropping combined with the amazing resilience of the Inga species show a clear and scalable path for saving rainforests and their rich biodiversity while providing 100% food security.
Inga Alley Cropping creates economic incentives that regenerate steep, degraded land without debt or loans for farmers.
Families no longer purchase agrochemicals which were necessasy when they used slash and burn, nor is any heavy equipment, machinery, or chemical fertilizer needed.
Inga Alley Cropping respects the traditional skills and innovations of the people closest to the land who through their land, labor, and care have demonstrated, at landscape-scale, how the Inga Tree Model can be replicated across entire landscapes.
.
According to the World Bank, “Over the past decades, agricultural policy and international institutions, as well as private and public agricultural research have often considered small-scale/subsistence farmers as backward “phase-out models” of a pre-industrial form of production.”
The strength of the Inga Model--is that it addresses the root of the problem, and even in this region experiencing the worst climate shocks, provides what farming families need most--100% food security within 1 ½ years.Families are not getting subsidies, they are getting seeds, training, and assistance with their planting/ first pruning. After that, they are independent with the skills to add a cash crop alley. Their choices bring about the change--from family, to community, to a nation that can all face an uncertain future with resilience and true sustainability.
The families are 100% in charge of their land--making all the decisions about what they wish to plant and adding other components from our nurseries (citrus, hardwoods, cash crop alley for turmeric, black pepper, pineapple, avocado, Allspice, cacao, vanilla, ). The Inga Tree Model program has over 200 families waiting to plant alleys. They have seen the results of their relatives and neighbors and many have visited the demo farm to see for themselves how planting trees secures their futures.
The all-Honduran team live in the two river valleys, are farmers themelves, who are known, trusted, and respected in the communities. The families have no debt or loans and are independent after their first pruning in 18-24 months. Not a single family that has adopted the model has reverted to slash-and-burn.
Families “pay it forward” by raising Inga seed stock and helping others with planting. This farmer-to-farmer initiative ensures the natural expansion and lasting success of the system. Inga alley cropping underpins the values needed for meaningful change in the global south.
The most important enabling factor is trust. We achieved that by always doing what we said we would do. Neither Covid-19, hurricanes or droughts have negatively affected the program. Families share their native seed and cooperate to make efficient use of their time. They save 30-40 days of weeding as the trees shade out all weeds. Firewood from the annual pruning is done with machetes and is a valuable resource that is shared/sold/traded by the families themselves. The demo farm has served as a drop-off and collection point for group drying/sales of peppercorns.
The all-Honduran team understood the importace of flexibility on many occasions when flooding or COVID-19 caused plans to change--always having a back-up (mules for seeds distribution or contracting a Caterpillar to clear roads after the twin hurricanes in Nov. 2020). They delivered food and water and transported several dozen villagers to medical facilities.
The Honduran team is the most experienced in the world and has taught all others who are installing Inga alleys. We have facilitated Inga alley replication in 15 countries with farmer/NGO/government groups by providing training at no cost to over 60 groups and providing native seed to many. They know the significance of what they are accomplishing and take great pride in their work. The nursery staff plants the crops that families request.
The program exceeds all expectations because the families are in charge--with tremendous co-operation among them-- like pruning in exchange for firewood, offering complementary skills, and working together spontaneously. They are listened to, respected, and valued.
Tree Academy Groups (TAGs) are formal community led conservation and advocacy associations established in Local Communities under the Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) Model, while Tree Academy Clubs (TACs) are student/pupil led and are established in schools (both primary and Secondary). They are grassroots channels of communication and distribution of our products and services, as well as implementers of various conservation and livelihood programs under the IPaCoPA initiative.
They facilitate platforms for members to express their views and opinions on matters affecting them to influence policy and decision making processes at local and national level. They also play an important role in amplifying TUA's awareness creation on critical issues of environment and livelihood development.
The VSLA Scheme facilitates periodic meetings by group members (usually weekly), during which they make savings and deliberate on impotant commununity development issues. It also keeps members active whilst facilitating knowledge sharing and joint decision making on general group development issues such as joint ventures. Members at times decide to invest their savings in joint projects such as Tree Nursery, Tents and Chairs for hire e.t.c to generate more revenues into the group.
Favourable political environment and supportive local leaders.
Existence of a strong project team with relevant expertise in community mobilization and entrepreneurial design production.
Willingness by community members and students/pupils to team together and form Groups and Clubs.
Increasing effects of climate change and the need for concerted efforts to curb down the situation.
Availability of Credit Financial Institutions willing to partner with us and extend soft loans to the groups.
Holding preliminary meetings with community/school leaders and enlisting their support simplifies the mobilization and participation of the target populations.
The youth are seemingly difficult to mobilize, and pop culture plays a significant role in influencing the youth and getting millennials to participate. Partnering with popular youth-centric brands and integrating Music Dance and Drama has vastly increased our reach among youth and students.
Integration of the VSLA model stimulates community members to elect responsible representatives, guarantees regular meetings and access to finance which keep members active to coordinate various program activities.
Allowing communities to prioritize and select quick impact projects solidifies support, galvanizes local participation and accelerates entrepreneurship.
Transparency and effective communication are essential igredients in projects that require community participation and to retain community trust.
