Landcare international
Landcare International (LI) was established in 2004 as a professional association of individuals and institutions) committed to the principles, philosophy and practices of Landcare, to champion and raise the visibility of the Landcare movement at the global level, and the need to further spread adoption of the Landcare approach.
LI aimed to enhance worldwide recognition and adoption of the Landcare approach as a viable model for conserving the environment and natural resources, effective public–private partnerships, and authentic stakeholder participation in community action and decision making. LI supported research, training, and the collection, dissemination and adoption of knowledge relevant to Landcare, international coordination of peer-to-peer learning, and sponsorship of educational exchange activities among Landcare participants.
Specifically, LI aimed to:
- Build a supportive global network that draws together Landcare participants to learn from each other through information exchange, people exchanges, peer-to-peer learning, regular conferences and training workshops, thereby encouraging national Landcare initiatives.
- Facilitate access to and extension of research and development, and relevant science and technology innovations.
- Establish and maintain a lessons-learned database of Landcare successes.
- Broker and mobilize financial resources to facilitate strategic investments in Landcare.
- Promote guiding values associated with the Landcare philosophy.
- Facilitate multi-level and multi-sectoral relationships within national Landcare projects and activities.
- Assist with the development of Landcare in interested countries.
Landcare International was chaired by Dr Dennis Garrity and had members from many parts of the globe. It held quarterly teleconferences and released a quarterly e-newsletter to share Landcare stories from different countries. LI also promoted Landcare at international events such as conferences and UN convention events. Individual members of LI and its partners continue to assist people in many countries establish their Landcare programs and activities. Administrative work for LI was performed by a virtual Landcare International Facilitation Unit (LIFU), hosted by the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) in Nairobi, Kenya. A number of LI members volunteered their time to facilitate Master Classes in Uganda, Malawi and Zambia. LI has also been advocating for an international year of Landcare.
In joining to establish Global Landcare in 2020, the role of LI has transferred to the new organisation however the existing leadership and partnership roles of the LI members and supporting organisations such as World Agroforestry (ICRAF) remain as important as ever.
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). Read more