Meet these champions of healthy land and soil

from around the world

Land for Life Award Semi-finalists 2013

© Lisa Christine, Wildlife Workds

Wildlife Works, KenyaA for-profit company, Wildlife Works has pioneered the first application of the UN REDD+ program and carbon credits to finance large-scale forest conservation in a key wildlife corridor, creating jobs and providing people with alternative livelihoods to agriculture. ©Lisa Christine, Wildlife Works

Consejo Civil Mexicano para la Silvicultura Sostenible CCMSS supports over 1,500 family farmers and foresters for sustainable land management in central Mexico.

Foundation for Ecological Security, IndiaThrough land restoration and community governance mechanisms, FES has brought sustainable land management to over 200,000 ha of common lands.

© RAE

Rehabilitation of Arid Environments Trust (RAE), Kenya

In Baringo County, 70 percent of land is arid or semi-unproductive, subject to soil erosion and decreasing biodiversity. Working with the community, RAE has implemented various land rehabilitation techniques, benefiting 20,000 farmers and pastoralists.

© Nestle, Creative Commons

Excellent Development, United KingdomWorking in drylands across East Africa, Excellent Development offers technical support for rural communities to build sand dams. The technique creates a higher riverbed, which acts like a sponge to store water and replenishes the aquifer. ©Photo Nestle, Creative Commons

In memoriam of Dr. Venanzio Vallerani, ItalyDedicating his life to helping farmers in arid environments, Dr. Vallerani pioneered the Vallerani system, a method of land cultivation that uses a special tractor.

World Vision AustraliaBy popularizing the concept of Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR), World Vision has changed how thousands of farmers manage their land around the world, helping them cultivate buried root systems in degraded landscapes, over time restoring productivity.

Abellon Clean Energy, India

Abellon employs women and landless farmers to practice organic agriculture under the shade of solar panels.

The Biovision Foundation in Switzerland helps farmers in East Africa increase crop outputs and enhance soil fertility. They also supports medicinal plant-based enterprises and communication initiatives.

Ms. Bilha Givon, IsraelWorking in one of the most degraded environments in Israel, Ms. Givon has dedicated her life to environmental conservation in the Negev Desert, initiating the first green-certified town in Israel, and responsibility dialogues between industry and the local community.

DeCo! Ghana: A social enterprise working in the savanna regions, DeCo! composts organic waste and sells it at a low-cost to farmers, enhancing crop yields and offering an alternative to government subsidized chemical fertilizer.

Liga para a Protecção da Natureza (LPN) Portugalsupports farmers to continue traditional steppe farming, practices which support the ecosystems of 30,000 hectares of habitat for endangered migratory birds.

Conservation International, IndonesiaTargeting restoration of a key watershed, Conservation International Indonesia has planted a green wall of 100,000 native trees over a 200-hectare area bordering two national parks. The wall protects water flows for 30 million consumers downstream in Greater Jakarta.

Photo upper left © Jessica ScrantonConservation International

EcoAgriculture Partners, United States Though developing practical tools, providing trainings and conducting research, EcoAgriculture Partners acts as a global thought leader in the field of sustainable land management.

Royal Botanic Garden, Jordan

In 2007, the Royal Botanic Garden decided to conserve a new area, building a fence around the 200-ha site. But every night the Bedouin herders would sneak across in and graze their animals. So the RBG introduced a program of managed grazing, allowing grazing at certain times, but giving the land a needed respite.

The Savory Institute, Zimbabwe/USA The Savory Institute is creating a global network of 100 locally-led hubs to provide training, consulting and implementation support for land managers, particularly in grazelands.