Livelihoods

📣 Today, we launch The Young Farmers Learning Award.    An initiative of the Livelihoods Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Livelihoods, it celebrates innovative education programs that prepare a new generation of farmers for regenerative farming, with particular attention to those finding new and better ways to teach and learn.    The question is not how a program teaches. It is what a young farmer truly learns.    ✨ In recognition of their work, these programs gain what they rarely receive. Two laureates will be selected: EUR 30,000 for the winning program, EUR 15,000 for the runner-up. Both receive communication support that puts a spotlight on their work and opens doors to new partners — and join a growing network of like-minded organizations, and potential funders.    The Award is open to any organization, whatever its form, whose program already helps young people become farmers and can show results. The first edition welcomes programs operating in Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Morocco, Rwanda, Senegal, and Uganda. Judged by an independent jury, it is an open platform that other organizations can join.    📅 Applications are open until 28 February 2027, in English or French. More information and the Call for Proposals: yflaward.org   👉 Apply at yflaward.org, or share this post with a program that deserves it. #YoungFarmersLearningAward #YoungFarmers #FarmerEducation #RegenerativeAgriculture #Africa

🌱 Why does preparing the next generation of farmers matter so much?    Agriculture has to feed more people, cope with climate change, and restore nature, while giving farmers a decent living. That takes a new generation of farmers who know how to farm with nature, can get land, markets, and resources, and keep learning and adapting.    But farming is not learned from a manual. It is learned in the field, close to real farms, alongside lead farmers who stay with young women and men until they settle and succeed. Across the world, programs are preparing young farmers this way, remarkably well, often without recognition, networks, or resources.    ✨ On 22 October, the Livelihoods Foundation launches The Young Farmers Learning Award to find these programs and celebrate them. An open platform, judged by an independent jury, it gives them what they rarely receive: the visibility to attract partners and resources, and a financial incentive.    Celebrating the programs where a new generation of farmers truly learns.  More soon, stay tuned.    📸 Photo by Masy Andriantsoa    #YoungFarmersLearningAward #YoungFarmers #FarmerEducation #RegenerativeAgriculture

As a field-driven organization, we know that impact starts with people. Staying connected to the communities and landscapes where we work starts with staying connected to one another. The Gear Up retreat was a powerful reminder of that. Learning from our wins, from what didnt work, and gearing up for whats next. 🎯

🔥 Transforming rural kitchens for healthier lives and forests Every day, mothers across the world spend hours gathering fuel and cooking over open fires and basic stoves—the same way their families have for generations. It's resourceful, but the cost is steep. The UN Development Programme estimates that this time commitment adds up to approximately $800 billion in forfeited education or livelihood opportunities, mostly among women.  At Livelihoods, we've spent the past decade working with local partners to change that story. Clean cookstoves aren't a silver bullet, but they're a practical, proven step toward healthier homes, protected forests, stronger communities, and economic transformation. 🌍 Three projects, one mission In Embu and Tharaka Nithi Counties, Kenya, access to energy is limited and many rural households rely on wood from forests for cooking. Since 2013, we’ve distributed 120,000 improved cookstoves that save nearly 60% of firewood compared to traditional methods. We work with SE Advisory Services to drive impact beyond fuel: women report less drudgery, gain time for farming and income-generating activities and local jobs are created in cookstove production and maintenance. In Nepal, around 69% of households use biomass fuels and open fire stoves for cooking. Working alongside Practical Action in Nepal, our 10-year project will equip 75,000 rural families with highly efficient cookstoves, manufactured by local partners. These aren’t just appliances. They’re tools for change, and are expected to create 450+ direct and indirect jobs while cutting smoke exposure and preserving forests. In the dry north of Burkina Faso, where wood is scarce and desertification threatens livelihoods, we partnered with Association tiipaalga to equip 30,000 families with stoves that reduce wood consumption by 50%. Ten years into this recently-closed project, nearly all women surveyed report less smoke exposure, fewer respiratory illnesses, and less eye irritation.  Clean cookstoves don’t just reduce emissions; they transform daily life. Women spend less time collecting firewood each day. Children breathe cleaner air. Forests get a chance to regenerate. And healthier communities gain control over their own futures. #CleanCooking #ClimateAction #RuralLivelihoods #WomenEmpowerment #SustainableDevelopment

🌍 Why mangroves matter Mangroves are vital far beyond the coastline: they protect over 15 million people from storms and flooding every year, store nearly three times the carbon of tropical forests, and provide a key source of food and economic opportunities for coastal and inland communities. Yet, IUCN's first global assessment found that half of mangrove ecosystems are now at risk of collapse. Lose the mangroves, and communities lose their food, their income, and their first line of defense against rising seas. What we've learned over 15+ years? Tree survival rates and hectares planted only tell part of the story. What truly matters? Right species, right place. Local leadership. Livelihoods tied to environmental restoration. Two of our long-running partnerships show what that looks like in practice. 🇸🇳 Senegal, with OCEANIUM ONG In 2009, Océanium spent months discussing with Casamance and Sine Saloum communities about the importance of planting new mangroves. Species were selected to match native species to local salinity and soil conditions. Millions of propagules were collected and planted by hand, mostly by women's groups, across 10,500 hectares in 400 villages. The result? 90% of households per village took part in the planting itself—something people described with pride. 70% of households reported higher fish catches. 95% of people say their diets have improved. 🇲🇽 Mexico, with Pronatura Veracruz A.C. In the Alvarado Lagoon System, our partner has revived the chinampa, a centuries-old Aztec floating-structure technique, to help 1,100+ hectares of mangrove take hold. Facing fires and extreme weather, the project adapted by implementing water channels to protect them: over the past two years, only 2% of protected plots were affected by fire, compared with over 30% outside the project area. Beyond replanting, the partnership supports honey production, sustainable farming, and small local trades, so protecting the mangrove isn't the only thing keeping families afloat. Mangrove restoration does not only sequester carbon. From Senegal to Mexico, these ecosystems thrive when the communities lead and see the benefits firsthand. And when they do, everyone wins. #MangroveRestoration #NatureBasedSolutions #ClimateAction #CommunityLed #WomenEmpowerment

📣 Our rural energy project in Bangladesh needs your expertise!    Launched in 2025, the ATEC Biodigester Project is transforming rural Bangladesh by deploying 16,000 biodigesters. This initiative is improving lives, preventing deforestation, and avoiding over 1 million tonnes of CO₂e over 15 years.    In a country where 84% of rural households still rely on harmful wood stoves, this project provides #cleancooking systems, reduces indoor air pollution, and produces organic fertilizer to support sustainable farming.    We’re currently seeking expert support for: 1️⃣ Household Air-Quality Measurement (PM2.5 and CO) What you should bring:  - Expertise in air-quality measurement (PM2.5 and CO) and exposure assessment  - Experience in household survey design and data collection (ex. KoboToolbox)  - 3-5 years experience in environmental/public-health monitoring and impact measurement  - Fluency in Bangla, English 2️⃣ Laboratory Pathogen Analysis of Biodigester-processed Manure  What you should bring:  - Accredited laboratory capability for microbiological analysis (E. coli / pathogen quantification)  - Experience in agricultural or environmental sample collection and analysis  - 3-5 years experience in laboratory analysis or environmental monitoring  - Fluency in Bangla, English    📅 Deadline for proposals: September 4, 2026    Read the full Terms of Reference below and reach out to Suryadipta Das (ATEC Global) or Sarah Cornelles (Livelihoods) for more details. Help us spread the word! 

🌿Forests are the lifelines of biodiversity, home to 80% of the world’s terrestrial species, climate regulators, and the foundation of resilient ecosystems. They sustain life for millions, with nearly 25% of the world’s population relying on forests for their livelihoods. Yet in many regions, these vital ecosystems face degradation, threatening both nature and the communities that depend on them. In Quezon, Bukidnon, on the Philippine island of Mindanao, local communities have been harmed by years of deforestation, impacting both water and food security. Working with the Hineleban Foundation Inc and the Matigsalug-Manobo tribe, we’ve recently started EAGLE, a 22-year reforestation project to help restore 7,500 hectares of degraded land into thriving forests. Partnering with the IUCN's WALD Innovation Facility, we’re using IUCN’s biodiversity tools and standards to guide our restoration work and help safeguard species like the Philippine Eagle and Philippine Warty Pig. Together, we’re working to:    ✅ Integrate 120+ native species through natural regeneration and community-run tree nurseries  ✅ Improve living conditions for 660 families through sustainable agroforestry  ✅ Strengthen watersheds and create safer habitats for threatened species  ✅ Sequester 1.5 million tonnes of CO₂e Nature-based climate action must never be done in a vacuum; it must always be led by rural communities. Because protecting biodiversity is protecting their livelihoods. 🌱 #WALDInnovationFacility 📸Photos by the Hineleban Foundation 

🧑🏽🌾 Have you ever wondered why smallholders commit to 20+ year projects?     Because trees improve productivity, diversify income, and enhance biodiversity while improving soil health.     Because mangroves protect fisheries and livelihoods and act as vital natural shields against storms and erosion.     Carbon helps finance these transitions, but people are the ones who make them happen.     In India’s Sundarbans, 20 million mangroves of 17 native species were planted with Nature Environment and Wildlife Society (NEWS) to protect communities from flooding and cyclones. When Cyclone Amphan hit in 2020, the restored mangroves acted as a bio-shield, protecting embankments from flooding and salination.     The project also created economic opportunities for local communities: nearly 900 farmers and fishermen, including 555 women, increased their incomes through Badabon Harvest, an initiative that connects local products to Kolkata markets.     In Rwanda, our 15,200-hectare agroforestry project in the Northern Province went beyond restoring degraded hillsides. It improved soil fertility and strengthened livelihoods for over 24,000 farmers. Working with the regional conservation organization ARCOS Network (Page) and community-based groups called Friends of Nature Associations, the project empowers smallholders to drive change.     Farmers like Valens from Rulindo District used support from a community fund to launch businesses: "With a loan of RWF 500,000, we started poultry farming. Now, together with my Friends of Nature Associations members, we own a business, and it brings us closer together."    These projects are more than planting trees. #NatureBasedSolutions are about building resilience, diversifying incomes, and securing futures.    📸Photos by Livelihoods & ARKA 

🌳In northwest Ghana’s cocoa-growing communities, youth are driving change, one tree at a time. Cocoa has been the primary source of income for thousands of rural families there. But most farms don't have many shade trees, stifling biodiversity and carbon sequestration.  Young people like Ruth are helping farmers build climate resilience and restore biodiversity. As part of the local youth teams, she delivers critical farm services such as pruning, planting, and maintaining shade trees on farms. Jobs like these help youth diversify their income. With her new earnings, Ruth has reinvested in her soap business, upgrading her packaging and designing more durable bottles. "Youth team activities have been indispensable to me," Ruth says. "Before, I could only dream of expanding. Now, I have the means to grow." For farmers, these youth-led farm services make a real difference. They improve farm management, accelerate agroforestry adoption, and help sustainable practices take root across communities. 160 youth employed. 11,000 cocoa farms supported. 1.7 million trees to be planted. 1.46 million tCO₂ projected to be sequestered over 20 years. Alongside our partner Agro Eco, we support communities in adopting agroforestry practices that allow for a more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable future. And it all starts with youth, leading the change! 📸 Photos by Agro Eco