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Landcare in various guises has been accepted by many countries in Asia, North and Central America, Europe, the Pacific and Africa
Australia
Landcare started in 1986 in Victoria, a southern state in Australia and became a national program by 1989. There are more than 5 000 Landcare groups now across Australia and they focus on farming improvement and biodiversity protection on both public and private land. There are Landcare Councils in each state and an Australian Landcare Council set up by the Federal Government to advise it on Landcare matters.
Individual Landcare groups come under the umbrella of one of the 73 official NRM/Catchment Management bodies across Australia and are often linked more closely within local Landcare Networks which assist individual groups seeking project funds, Landcare news and community training.
1998 Secretariat for International Landcare (SILC) forms and runs many tours of Australian Landcare projects for overseas resource managers over next one and a half decades.
2007 – 2008 Australian Landcare International (ALI) forms in Melbourne. Its goal is to use our collective Landcare experience to help people in other countries manage their land and water resources more sustainably by:
- Promoting Landcare to national and international organisations as a sustainable way to manage natural resources for food production and resource conservation.
- Supporting a Landcare approach within local communities in various countries.
- Training overseas participants in Landcare within Australia and in home countries
- Making connections between people and projects in Australia and overseas.
Africa
East African Countries
The development of Landcare in a number of East African countries started with a major land management trial in Uganda and the lessons from that spread to Kenya, Tanzania, Rawanda and Ethiopia. Landcare thus grew out of a broader program to improve land management and reduce land degradation across the area, particularly following devastating droughts and community dislocation over the last 20 years. Stabilization of the soil and the wider use of conservation farming techniques were having limited effect due to the emphasis on technical project outcomes. The Landcare approach, championed by the World Agroforestry Centre based in Kenya, has brought more people-oriented, community-based programs with beneficial results. There is a strong emphasis on food security through action-oriented projects which incorporate capacity building for local landholders and government extension staff in both technical and community management.
African Landcare Network
The African Landcare Network (ALN) is a network of individuals, institutions, government and non-government organizations that are committed to champion the Landcare approach in Africa. The ALN has been supported and chaired by Landcare South Africa through their national Department of Agriculture, Forests and Fisheries and the secretariat support comes through World Agroforestry (ICRAF). See more
Nigeria
The first Nigerian Landcare project began under the auspices of the Tropical Research and Conservation Centre at the University of Uyo in southern Nigeria. The project is focused on local community improvement through more sustainable use of local forests, development of forest food trees and the protection of the forest habitat of some rare monkey species.
South Africa
Landcare was launched in South Africa in the late 1990s following contact with Australian Landcare experts and visits by South African agricultural departmental staff. Now Landcare groups are tackling a range of land degradation issues including salinity, soil erosion, pest plants and pest animals, and reduced agricultural production. Junior Landcare in both primary and secondary schools promotes Landcare ethics and practical activities.
Uganda
Uganda Landcare Conference 2019
Global Landcare has a long standing relationship with the Uganda Landcare Network.
Uganda Landcare Visit, 13- 16th August 2018
ALI members were in Uganda to deliver training as part of the ACIAR funded Value Chain Innovation Project VIP4FS. (Value Chain Innovation Platforms for Food Security). This project is working with small farmers in Uganda and Zambia. In eastern Uganda it is working to enhance small farmers incomes from coffee, dairy and honey. This project and those that established Landcare in the region are transforming livelihoods and landscapes through demonstrating and promoting adoption of sustainable techniques for land management. Read more
Zambia
Jason Alexandra, Keith Bradby and Andrea Mason from Australian Landcare International undertook the Landcare Masterclass in Solwezi, Zambia in December 2016. Training was carried out over 4 days as part of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) Project, Developing Value Chain Innovation Platforms to Improve Food Security in East and Southern Africa led by the World Agroforestry Centre (WAC) and the African Landcare Network (ALN). Read more
Asia/Pacific
Bangladesh
Bangladesh joined the international Landcare movement in the year 2012 and officially launched “Landcare Bangladesh (LCB)” on 11 July 2013 in presence of the Directors of the Secretariat for International Landcare (SILC), Australia. It was also supported by the Friends In Village Development of Bangladesh (FIVDB) and Neo-Synthesis Research Centre, Sri Lanka in developing its technical competencies for the landcare approach to homestead agriculture and rural and community development and has put in place long term arrangements for knowledge sharing and technical collaboration.
The approach integrates existing practices and introduces new knowledge and innovations based on resource availability of the particular community/region for organizing self-help groups provides a strong community network to promote new ideas and technologies and replicate successful interventions widely. Among others, LCB is focussed on sustainable livelihood development for Bangladesh through improved landcare approach combination with organic practices. Presently the LCB is acting as a civil-society group, non-profitable organization. LCB is representing Bangladesh in “Global Landcare”.
Fiji
Fiji launched its first two Landcare groups on the island of Vanua Levu for the Mali and Dreketi districts in Macuata province. The formation of the Landcare groups signifies the increased responsibility villagers are willing to take on to ensure the sustainable use of their natural resources and the protection of their local environment. WWF-South Pacific has closely supported the development of these groups. Read more
India
The Indian Landcare program is in its infancy with various existing community based projects being considered as a basis for developing a successful Landcare movement there.
Indonesia
Landcare, or peduli lahan, in Indonesia is a new approach to better land management with the first group starting up less than two years ago in central Java. Located in the Mt. Merapi area (between an active and an inactive volcano), the community groups face low food production from steep hillside cropping, soil erosion and a recent volcanic eruption which blanketed crops and plant nurseries. The Secretariat for International Landcare, an Australian based NGO is working with INFRONT , an Indonesian academic forestry group, to further the Landcare approach in Indonesia.
Japan
Secretariat to Promote the Establishment of Landcare in Japan (SPELJ)
Founded in 2012, SPELJ aims to make known the principles and philosophy of Landcare in Japan, to create links with and promote networking and partnership among community-based activities in Japan that aim at maintaining traditional practices in agriculture and the management of the natural environment
(such as Satoyama ) and/or at revitalising rural areas and dealing with current and emerging environmental problems. Read more
New Zealand
Landcare has been operating in New Zealand since the early 1990s and now has more than 600 groups using Landcare practices to improve coastal areas, streamsides, farming areas and other natural resource management activities. The New Zealand Landcare Trust implements various Landcare programs and activities , supported to varying extents by regional councils. NZ experience has shown that Landcare creates a learning environment for farmers and other community groups to plan, negotiate, and implement sustainable land management projects.
Philippines
Landcare in the Philippines grew out of efforts to promote soil conservation on the steep hillside farming areas in the uplands of the southern Philippines. This steep farmland was prone to severe soil erosion because of cultivation up and down the slope, and overcultivation because land holdings were small and crop production variable. In 1996, through the support and guidance of the World Agroforestry Centre, contour farming using natural vegetative strips became an acceptable practice and led to community based land management. Communities were organised to foster the practice and exchange ideas and information and this led to the development of Landcare groups and associations. In 1999, Australia became involved in supporting the Landcare process with the commencement of the Philippines-Australia Landcare Project, funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR). This project, and a concurrent project funded by the Spanish Government, facilitated the World Agroforestry Centre and other agencies to expand Landcare to new communities and strengthen its research and extension base. In 2003, the World Agroforestry Centre established the Landcare Foundation of the Philippines Inc (LFPI) initially to administer a small grants program to Landcare groups, and subsequently to take on the lead role for the development of Landcare in the southern Philippines. ACIAR has continued to support the evolution of Landcare and LFPI through various projects for more than 15 years since its initial engagement in 1999. Read more
Sri Lanka
Lanka Landcare was launched in June 2010 and was initiated by NeoSynthesis Research Centre and its Managing Director Kamy Melvani. NeoSynthesis has been working with village communities to improve social, economic and environmental conditions in a number of areas in Sri Lanka. Kamy attended the 2nd International Landcare Conference in Melbourne in 2006, which included her participation in the Crawford Fund’s Landcare Master Class. Following that, she visited Australia again to further discuss the Landcare approach and its relevance to the NeoSynthesis program.
Timor Leste
Institutu Matadalun Integradu (IMI) has being working with Australian Landcare International (ALI) since 2015. The project that ALI supports mostly focus on soil and water conservation on upland farms. This project is essential to reduce natural disaster such as soil erosion, degradation, inundation, desert and climate change.
It will also contribute to changing local farmers conscious and practical approach from traditional farming system to new farming systems which are friendly with nature as agro-forestry. Agro-forestry is a farming system that is appropriate to adaptation to climate change.
IMI is carrying out this project in suco Fatuquero as a continues project from past projects that IMI carried out in 2015. Through this project, IMI will work closely with local community to conserve their land that are at risk from erosion every year. Read more
Tonga
In June 2014, ALI members Horrie and Wendy Poussard went to the Kingdom of Tonga to carry out their final workshop for the Popua Landcare Group. Popua is a village on the edge of the capital, Nuku’alofa and last year decided to become the first Landcare group in Tonga. Read more
Vietnam
At the time of this story (1999), Horrie Poussard was an agricultural and environmental consultant based in Hanoi, Vietnam.
While not a Landcare project in name, it certainly is in its community planning and action, and in the communal outcomes.
The Ke Go Forest Reserve in Vietnam has been a watershed to a downstream reservoir for a long time. It has also been the source of survival for people living in and around the reserve for generations – certainly before someone in Hanoi drew a boundary around it on a map and declared it in need of protection for downstream water users. It is a remnant of the once extensive tropical forests that covered the mountains of Vietnam. For some years it has been on the list for declaration as a National Nature Reserve because of its unique biodiversity that includes elephants, monkeys and several special pheasant species. Read more
Central/South America
Jamaica
In 2008 The Hanover & Wolverhampton Link Project flagged a Landcare training course in its home community in Jamaica run by Australian Landcare International.
Hanover people see Landcare as a way to rehabilitate productive land after 300 years of subsistence and commercial farming. The region is growing rapidly due to tourism, however locals want to maintain some traditional farming industries, including fruit growing and vegetable production for sale to major resorts and restaurants. In 2015, ALI conducted training to introduce the Landcare concept and enable community-managed projects across the parish to conserve soil, control pest plants and animals, create carbon sinks and foster biodiversity, at the same time marketing high-quality produce co-operatively. Tourism opportunities such as farm-stay and ecotourism ventures may also be feasible. Read more
St Kitts Nevis
The Sustainable Farming through Landcare – Workshop in the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis will run from 18 – 25 May, 2018. Presenters will include professionals from CARDI, Australian Landcare international and the University of Wolverhampton. Read more
Europe
Germany
Landcare in Germany also began in 1986 with an emphasis on the protection of biodiversity on public land by adjoining private landholders, usually farmers. Government and farmers work together to manage natural habitats to improve biodiversity , and to support environmentally friendly land use systems. In the process, local communities have developed and marketed regional rural products.
Iceland
Iceland has a major overgrazing problem due to a long tradition of community grazing plus a cold climate than makes it difficult to easily and naturally redress the effects of overgrazing. The soil erosion problems that result have been a major focus for the developing community based approach to better land management. Landcare came to Iceland in the 1990s following contact with Australian Landcare. Arctic Landcare sees its way to progress by combining agricultural productivity programs with those to repair land degradation in order to achieve sustainable land management.
North America
Canada
Landcare in Canada is heavily focused on land stewardship on both public and private land. The two main centres for Landcare are in Ontario in the east and Alberta in the west. Land Care Niagara (LCN) is committed to creating a healthy and sustainable rural and urban environment, consisting of citizens who are knowledgeable and active in land resource management. They have several major heritage corridor and catchment replanting programs and support individuals and groups with technical and financial support. Clear Water Landcare in Alberta has a focus on stabilizing the riparian areas in their catchment and assisting farming and small holder owners to manage their land sustainably and improve streamwater quality. Both groups have been going for several years now.
USA
Southern Virginia is the location of the first two Landcare groups in the USA. the emphasis here is on protecting the rural landscape values of the areas which are constantly under pressure from more intensive development due to pressures from nearby Washington DC. and other major urban centres. Community groups under the Landcare banner use protective long term covenants, and stimulate more intensive agricultural production to maintain the rural flavour of these communities. Landcare action under a number of community guises is slowly spreading to other US States.
Other Countries.
Initial discussions have been held recently with individuals and groups in Japan and Korea with the idea of taking up Landcare as a suitable way to implement a community based natural resource management program. There is also interest in other Pacific countries (Tonga, Samoa, PNG and the Solomon Islands) following the recent launch of Fiji Landcare.