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When Youth Draw What Matters: Native Crops, Climate Change, and Connection

Published 24 Jul 2025

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You can feel the shift.

The rains do not come when they used to.
Crops wither.
Pests like the Andean weevil thrive.

In the highlands of Cotopaxi, climate change is not a theory, it is a lived reality. Families rely on farming, and when the land suffers, so do livelihoods, traditions, and entire ways of life.

Ask the youth what they know about potato agrobiodiversity, and most will mention “Super Chola”, a common variety grown for market. But varieties like Coneja Negra or Leona Negra, both known for surviving droughts, often draw blank stares. Mashua, another native Andean tuber with pest-repelling properties, is rarely seen as food anymore. It is remembered mostly for its medicinal use, if at all.

That is the gap this capacity-strengthening event set out to bridge.

In collaboration with the University San Francisco de Quito (USFQ), the Technical University of Cotopaxi, EkoRural Foundation, the INIAP (the National Agriculture Research Center), and the International Potato Center (CIP), a scientific illustration course was launched, not just to teach drawing, but to reconnect youth with their agrobiodiversity heritage and raise awareness of climate resilience. This was done under the project “Andean Crop Diversity for Climate Change” supported by Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate (GCBC), and the University San Francisco de Quito.

Eleven youth from rural communities and nearby universities joined the five-session course. Three sessions were held in person and the rest were online. Participants visited University San Francisco to learn the principle of botanical illustration: detailed observation and drawing. Drawing nature requires a deep observation of different subjects and breaking paradigms to “draw what we actually see” in place draw what “we have been thought to see”. This is a deep reflection process that makes us appreciate the rich details of nature.

Students also visited the USFQ Herbarium where they learned how plants are documented and preserved and saw firsthand that some native crops are barely represented – even in scientific records. Later, the Technical University of Cotopaxi hosted sessions where participants worked mainly on how to mix colour to capture the details of samples of native potatoes and mashua provided by the International Potato Center.

Some participants chose to illustrate Chaucha Roja, a native potato variety known for surviving even in difficult seasons. One participant shared:

“Chaucha Roja faces many challenges like drought, but it stays resilient to climate change and continues to produce.”

Others focused on other native potatoes after speaking with grandparents who remembered planting them but had stopped due to the labour and pest issues:

“What my grandmother told me is that they used to plant it, but not anymore, because it requires more care and there are more pests. Still, it is a crop that is more resistant to drought… so it could really help with climate change.”

Some insights were straightforward but powerful:

“Yes, it helped us. During the drought season, it held up well with compost. So yes, it helped me for food.” (Referring to the potato)

The resulting illustrations were not just botanical, they were cultural and ecological. Each one carried a story, a memory, and a perspective on how these native crops can support adaptation in a changing climate.

To celebrate these efforts, the youth’s work was exhibited along the work of 19 artists, from 18th to 25th May at QGalery from the San Francisco de Quito University and the Botanical Garden in Quito. This exhibition was part of a global event: Wordwide Bontanical Art 2025, to showcase this discipline across the world. The exhibition placed local crop diversity at the centre, through the eyes and hands of the youth who are reclaiming it.

 

Reflections from the Process

This experience left us with several powerful takeaways:

  • Youth need space to explore. When given the time and tools to connect with their own cultural and ecological heritage, they do not just participate, they take ownership.
  • Dialogue creates change. Conversations with parents and grandparents sparked not just knowledge sharing, but pride in crops and practices that had been overlooked or forgotten.
  • Context matters. Young people do not talk about climate change the same way scientists do, but they understand it deeply through their lived experience. Letting them express that through art made it real, personal, and lasting.
  • Art renews connection with nature: The simple process of observation and drawing creates a powerful link between the artist, the observer and the subject. It helps us to question us about the nature that surrounds us and makes us remember how our lives are linked to nature.

 

This capacity-strengthening event reminded us that young people are not just future leaders. They are current voices. And when they are invited into the conversation with respect and creativity, they draw more than just plants.

They draw connections.
They draw awareness.
They draw change.

 

This blog was written by Israel Navarrete, Associate Scientist, CIP, in collaboration with Bettina Heider (CIP) and Jenny Ordoñez, by San Francisco de Quito University.

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Pathways to Sustainable Agriculture: Insights from LEAF Indonesia in Gorontalo

Published 20 Jun 2025

GCBC

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One of the things that excites me most about this project is the way it brings together local knowledge, based on lived experience of farming communities with formal scientific data and modelling, all in one innovative platform. It’s a rare opportunity to co-create solutions that are both grounded in community realities and speak the language of planning. The strong early engagement from such a diverse group of stakeholders reflects both the urgency of the challenge and the commitment of our brilliant local research team and partners to accelerate progress toward sustainable land use pathways.

Professor Fiona Marshall, Leaf Indonesia Project Lead, Professor of Environment and Development, University of Sussex

 

On March 13, 2025, Universitas Negeri Gorontalo (UNG) hosted a dynamic workshop as part of the LEAF Indonesia project — Land-Use, Ecosystem, Agriculture, Food Security in Indonesia. This collaborative initiative, involving UNG, Sussex University (UK), and Monash University Indonesia, is dedicated to exploring how land use changes related to Indonesia’s food estate program affect local ecosystems, food security, and rural livelihoods.

The participatory workshop, which brought together 86 participants, 46 in person and 40 online, included researchers, farmers, NGOs, government officials, and students. Together, they examined how Indonesia’s ambitious food estate program intersects with critical issues such as environmental sustainability, spatial planning, biodiversity, and agricultural livelihoods.

Images shows representative corn monoculture landscapes in Gorontalo, Indonesia and rice paddies in Kalimantan, Borneo –  subjects of research into sustainable and diversified agroecological practices by LEAF Indonesia. The other image depicts Professor Fiona Marshall introducing the project to workshop participants.

 

After words of welcome from the project lead, Professor Fiona Marshall from the University of Sussex, and Professor Iswan Dunggio from UNG, the day began with a keynote by Dr. Wahyudin A. Katili, Chief of BAPPEDA Gorontalo, who highlighted the promise of the food estate program to boost national food security and reduce import dependency through modern, mechanized farming. The presentation also acknowledged the challenges such as land conversion, spatial conflicts, and environmental degradation, and emphasized the need for stronger community engagement and sustainable policy frameworks.

Rina Tayeb, from Gorontalo’s Agriculture Agency, emphasized the province’s sustainable food zone approach, focusing on protecting agricultural land and empowering farmers and fishers. Her recommendations underscored the importance of infrastructure, education, and income diversification to ensure long-term agricultural resilience and rural welfare.

Later that day, conservationist Bagus Tri Nugroho of the Ministry of Forestry addressed the delicate balance between food production and biodiversity. Speaking about the potential impacts on Bogani Nani Wartabone National Park, he warned against forest conversion and advocated for eco-tourism and community-based conservation as dual strategies for safeguarding biodiversity and supporting livelihoods.

Finally, Fery Novriyal from the Forest Gazettement Agency explored spatial planning policies under the Food, Water, and Energy Security program, particularly in managing the use of 20 million hectares of forest area. He presented both the risks of deforestation and the opportunities offered by agroforestry and social forestry initiatives that allow for sustainable development without compromising forest integrity.

Key discussion points emphasized that the Food Estate initiative must align with the Spatial Planning Act (Regulation No. 2 of 2024) and prioritize land use based on local wisdom and environmental sustainability. Participants stressed the need for irrigation infrastructure, strategic land identification, and alignment with sustainable agricultural and industrial development goals.

An integrated agricultural market, crop variety management, and the mitigation of critical land degradation were also discussed, alongside the importance of organic farming practices and reduced reliance on chemical inputs.

Next Steps

In summary, the workshop was a crucial step in fostering dialogue among stakeholders and informing more sustainable, inclusive agricultural policy. By engaging local voices and scientific insights, the LEAF project continues to pave the way for pathways that protect both people and the planet, reinforcing that future food security must go hand in hand with environmental stewardship.

Following this workshop, the project has focused on establishing a baseline of what the impact of Indonesia’s food estate programme has been, in Gorontalo and in the projects two other case study sites in West Papua and East Kalimantan.

They are doing this through further stakeholder engagement work, through careful policy analysis and historical research, and through gathering secondary data to feed into their bespoke mapping and modeling platform, LIMMMA. This will allow them to paint a picture of how land use has changed over the last 20 years, and what impact these changes have had on rural livelihoods, local ecosystems, and food security.

Once that baseline is established, the project will work closely with stakeholders to explore alternative land use practices that are realistic options for those communities. It will then investigate whether these alternatives could potentially provide a better path to the Indonesian government’s food security goals, while also alleviating rural poverty and improving climate resilience and biodiversity.

Find out more about this project on their website.

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Potatoes, People, and Photobooks: The International Potato Center’s (CIP) Climate Response in the Andes

Published 29 May 2025

GCBC

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As climate extremes increasingly challenge Andean agriculture, the International Potato Center (CIP) is working closely with communities in Peru and Ecuador to strengthen resilience and preserve agrobiodiversity.

At the heart of this effort is the Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate (GCBC) project – a multi-faceted initiative that brings together scientific innovation, traditional knowledge, and local engagement to equip farming systems for a changing future.

Mashua plants as natural pest management to protect potato fields from potato weevils in the Andes Potato harvest in Peru. Experimental plots have been protected by a traditional pest management strategy – the use of mashua plants as weevil repellent Potato harvest in Peru. Experimental plots have been protected by a traditional pest management strategy – the use of mashua plants as weevil repellent Potato harvest in the Central Andes of Peru. Experimental plots have been protected by a traditional pest management strategy – the use of mashua plants as weevil repellent (the orange spots are the mashua plants that are left in the fields slightly longer since mashua has a longer maturation period than potato) Participatory trial evaluation at harvest time in the Central Andes of Peru. Farmers rate their preferences based on drought tolerance, yield, and other factors such as texture, taste, cooking time, or pest & disease (late blight) resistance and tolerance to frost. (Farmer vote with seeds and deposit the seeds in little plastic containers which you may see on the potato sacks. Gender preferences are usually captured by using different seed types. The results are then discussed among farmers.)
The images show potato harvesting in Peru’s Central Andes, featuring mashua plants used as natural pest control against potato weevils. During participatory trials, farmers evaluate varieties at harvest based on drought tolerance, yield, taste, cooking time, pest and disease resistance, and frost tolerance. They “vote with seeds,” placing their preferred seeds in small containers on potato sacks. Gender preferences are captured using different seed types, and results are then discussed collectively.

 

CIP’s work begins in the field, where trials are underway to identify native potato varieties that can withstand prolonged drought. These drought-tolerant potatoes offer more than just resilience – they help safeguard the region’s rich potato heritage by keeping a diverse range of varieties in cultivation, even under stress. At the same time, researchers are exploring the promise of mashua, a lesser-known Andean root crop valued for its pest-repelling qualities and nutritional profile. As both a traditional food and a potential ingredient for modern food markets, mashua represents a link between heritage and innovation.

Beyond crop trials, CIP is leading efforts to restore lost agrobiodiversity. Through the repatriation and in vitro propagation of native potato varieties, communities in Peru are reconnecting with crops that had disappeared from their fields. This restoration work is already laying the foundation for community-managed in vitro laboratories – local hubs for conserving potato diversity and advancing climate-adaptive agriculture.

Equally important is building local capacity. CIP supports farmers, students, and indigenous technicians with hands-on training to ensure that scientific advances translate into real-world resilience. One standout initiative is the youth photobook project, which equips young people with cameras and storytelling tools to document the impact of climate change on their lives. These visual narratives elevate local voices, while farmers’ concerns have separately influenced policy and contributed to shaping Ecuador’s national biodiversity policy – an example of how community-centered initiatives can influence broader systems.

Together, these activities form a cohesive strategy grounded in science, collaboration, and cultural respect. CIP’s work through the GCBC project demonstrates that resilience is not just about enduring climate stress – it’s about transforming challenges into opportunities for growth.

By connecting agricultural research with lived experience, CIP is helping Andean communities not only adapt, but thrive.

 

This report was prepared by Dr Bettina Heider, Project Lead and Genetic Resources Specialist, CIP and Joel Ranck, Head of Communications, CIP.

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Introducing CROSSROADS: Using native plants to restore biodegraded soils in Ethiopia

Published 24 Mar 2025

GCBC

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The first in-person meeting of the CROSSROADS project was held between 10 and 14th March, 2025 in Hawassa, Ethiopia. CROSSROADS is one of the new projects awarded last year under the GCBC’s Second Research Grant Competition (RGC2).

Researchers from lead partner, the University of Aberdeen (Scotland), and the International Water Management Institute (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia), travelled to Hawassa to meet partners from the Central Ethiopian Agricultural Research Institute and Hawassa University.

A healthy soil is the basis for improved rural livelihoods and resilience to climate change. Using side-lined plant species to improve soils could increase their value and so encourage their spread. CROSSROADS aims to catalogue and rate side-lined species with potential to restore agriculturally degraded soils. This will use a combination of systematic review of the existing scientific literature, community engagement to draw together traditional knowledge, new field and lab measurements, and modelling.

A major component of the project is the development of new tools to communicate findings, dissemination of tools and facilitation of use of top-rated species.

Fighting soil erosion with innovation

A visit to potential field sites in the area of Lokka Abaya, South of Hawassa, highlighted the limitations on organic inputs available to improve the soil; a high proportion of crop residues are used for livestock feed, fuel or building. Land pressures reduce the amount of space available for wild species to proliferate, resulting in high potential for biodiversity loss. Many of these wild species could be used to improve soils by adding or releasing nutrients, or by stabilising the soil with their roots to reduce erosion.

Exclosure areas that could be used as sources of seeds for restoration of degraded soils

The CROSSROADS team visited an exclosure area in the kebele (the smallest administrative unit in Ethiopia). Exclosures are formerly degraded areas where livestock and cropping have been excluded to allow time for the fertility of the land to recover. An important idea to emerge from this visit was the potential to encourage the top-rated side-lined species to grow in exclosures, providing a source of seeds for plants, which could then be collected by local entrepreneurs and used for soil improvement.

In research aligned to the GCBC CROSSROADS project, University of Aberdeen and Hawassa University researchers worked together to construct a laboratory rainfall simulator at Hawassa University. This new equipment allows for controlled testing of soil erosion, providing detailed information on soil loss and water flow under rainfall conditions typical of the regions we are exploring. Livestock, especially grazing in communal grazing areas, are responsible for high levels of erosion. We are using the rainfall simulator to evaluate how biodiverse plants and different types of land management can combat soil erosion, arguably the greatest threat to agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa.

A rainfall nozzle and pressure controllers were brought from the UK; these match equipment already in place in the laboratory at the University of Aberdeen. In Ethiopia we scoured markets to buy consumables and worked with local tradespeople to construct a 4 m tower from bamboo with metal erosion troughs to hold soil during testing.  Delivering water to the rainfall simulator required a water supply to be diverted to a large holding tank, which is then pumped at controlled pressure to regulate rainfall intensity.

Early results have found improved stabilisation in soils collected near to homesteads (where more biodiverse plants are grown) compared to soils from further away (where fields are planted with monocultures). With this equipment now in place, there are many opportunities to explore the impacts of specific plants or biodiverse mixtures, with the objective of demonstrating how side-lined plant species could help combat erosion by improving soils. By using underutilised plant species, both above and below-ground, biodiversity will be enhanced through increased use of indigenous crops, trees and shrubs to improve fertility and reinforce unstable soils. The extent of this and the consequent impacts on soils, biodiversity, poverty and climate adaptation will be fully quantified and understood through the CROSSROADS project.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The GCBC 2025 Research Symposium Open Day

04 Mar 2025

10:00 - 17:00 Hrs UTC

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Agriculture Agroforestry Coastal Ecosystems Conservation and Restoration Food Systems Governance and Policy Improving livelihoods Indigenous Peoples Natural Resource Management Nature based solutions Small Island Developing States

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Each year, the Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate hosts a research symposium focused on sharing big ideas, transformative practice and stories of impact.

This year, we invited the entire GCBC community to participate in the event through an online Open Day on Tuesday 4 March 2025.

The Open Day programme included four engaging sessions with speakers from around the world. You can access the session recordings below.

Additionally, the key takeaways from each panel session have been beautifully brought to life through the illustrations of Elly Jahnz.
 

Opening Session: Why supporting innovative research at the intersection of climate change, biodiversity loss, and poverty alleviation matters.


 

Panel Discussion 1: Contributing to global goals – Exploring the science behind national and global frameworks and targets.


 

Panel Discussion 2: Strengthening the connection between evidence and policy with a focus on practice from across the GCBC community.


 

Panel Discussion 3: Harnessing private sector investment in Nature-based Solutions.


 
For more information, read our blog on the Symposium, written by Samantha Morris, to explore the key outcomes from the full three-day event.

Thank you so much to all members of our GCBC research community who joined us in person and online for the symposium, and to our wonderful speakers, panelists, and chairs for your insight, expertise, and for generously giving your time to be with us.

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The GCBC Research Grant Competition 3 (RGC3) Concept Note application has CLOSED

Published 04 Feb 2025

GCBC

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The GCBC Opportunities Portal for Concept Note submissions for the Third Research Grant Competition (RGC3) CLOSED at 23:00 hrs UTC, on Sunday, 16 March, 2025. Any applications submitted after that time and date will not be accepted or considered for the full proposal stage. 

The GCBC extends grateful thanks to all applicants who made submissions through the Opportunities Portal. We have been delighted with the responses to this grant call, particularly from the Global South.

Over the next few weeks we will be working through the applications, carrying out eligibility checks, technical evaluations, moderation and scientific meetings to establish the most suitable Concept Notes to take forward to the next round. 

RGC3 Themes

The two research themes of this RGC3 are:  

  • Theme 1: Using biodiversity to improve the climate resilience of agricultural, food and bioeconomy value chains – Transforming agrifood systems at scale to incorporate nature-based solutions that build biodiversity back into production landscapes to boost climate resilience and reduce poverty (open to all GCBC focus regions). 
  • Theme 2: Biodiversity hotspots in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) – Building sustainable businesses from nature to adapt to climate change, protect biodiversity, and tackle poverty (focused in SIDS). 

The GCBC, a UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), aims to fund a mixed portfolio of up to twenty grants in RGC3, covering a range of topics and geographies across both themes. Grants sums of between £100,000 and £1 million are offered for projects of 12-36 months duration. 

The GCBC will accept proposals for projects with activities in GCBC-eligible countries in Latin America (including Central America), the Caribbean, Sub-Saharan Africa, and South-east Asia and the Pacific and Small Island Developing States. A list of GCBC eligible countries is available here. To be accepted for funding under the GCBC programme projects must demonstrate: 

  • Fit to GCBC: All proposals need to address poverty alleviation and climate resilience, focusing on approaches that better value, protect, restore and sustainably manage biodiversity. 
  • Fit to theme: Proposals must address research questions within one of the themes set out above. 
  • GESI: All proposals must incorporate clear plans to factor in gender, equality and social inclusion from the outset. 
  • R&D: Proposed work must meet the definition of research and development: creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge – including knowledge of humankind, culture and society – and to devise new applications of available knowledge (OECD, 2015). 

 

 

 

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Research Grant Competition 2 (RGC2): The GCBC awards £13.4 million in UK ODA grants for research to find nature-based solutions to climate change and poverty reduction   

Published 14 Jan 2025

GCBC

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RGC2 awards 18 new project grants worth £13.4 million based on the theme: “Driving innovation in how biodiversity can support climate resilience and sustainable livelihoods through practice and governance”. 

Initial concept note applications for the second GCBC research grant competition (RGC2) numbered 507 from lead delivery partners in 60 UK-ODA eligible countries. This response more than trebled the 155 applications submitted for the first round of grants in 2023. From the initial concept notes, 56 applications were selected to submit full proposals.    

Grant awards were made using several criteria, including applications’ contribution to the context of the RGC2 theme. These involved assessing applicants’ understanding of how addressing evidence gaps in the potential of nature-based solutions using less utilised species (plants, animals, insects, fungi, trees etc.) can contribute to:   

  • improving poor livelihoods through more resilience to climate change;  
  • meeting resource or service demands; and  
  • protecting and conserving traditional knowledge and biodiversity.  

Filling these evidence gaps is critical to finding innovative approaches to guide practice and governance.  

Climate change, biodiversity loss and poverty are three of the most pressing challenges facing the world today and are fundamentally inter-linked. Climate change, driven by human activity, is increasingly and negatively affecting people and the natural environment. Biodiversity loss, which also results from human activity, is causing degraded landscapes and soil and increasing food insecurity. This exacerbates climate risk by reducing the resilience of natural and managed ecosystems. Unfortunately, those living in poverty are often the most vulnerable and the least able to respond to the impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss. 

By working in partnership with scientists, research institutions and practitioners around the world, the GCBC seeks to develop innovative research and scalable approaches to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. This will have an impact on ecosystem resilience to climate change, halting and reversing biodiversity loss, contributing to poverty alleviation and helping countries to achieve a nature-positive future. The GCBC is funded by the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs working in partnership with DAI as the Fund Manager Lead and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew as the Strategic Science Lead.  

The 18 projects awarded under RGC2 will be implemented in 16 UK ODA-eligible countries in the Global South; seven countries from Latin America (including Central America) and the Caribbean (Brazil; Colombia; Ecuador; Dominican Republic; Guatemala; Panama; Peru); six from Sub-Saharan Africa (Democratic Republic of Congo; Ethiopia; Ghana; Kenya; Tanzania; Republic of Congo); and three from South East Asia and the Pacific (Cambodia; Indonesia; Vietnam).  

Eleven of the RGC2 projects cover broad thematic areas: Agroforestry; Community led approaches; Integrated land / water management; and Forest restoration. Seven of the projects cover more uniquely focused research areas: Seagrass restoration; Carbon markets; Biodiverse seed bank; Mangrove restoration; Peatlands; Land use (landscape level); and Underutilised species for soil restoration.  

“This new round of 18 diverse and innovative projects represents a consolidation of the ‘Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate’ as Defra’s flagship ODA R&D programme.  These new projects will continue GCBC’s growing reputation for delivery of high-quality evidence about the effective and sustainable use of biodiversity for climate resilience and to improve livelihoods.” said Professor Gideon Henderson, Chief Scientific Adviser, UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

“As fund management lead, DAI is delighted to continue our relationship with Defra and especially to welcome the successful applicants who are joining the GCBC’s project portfolio for the next phase of the programme’s development. Through this project round, we will continue to support scientists, academics and research institutions working to build stronger capacity, increase collaboration, deliver high-impact projects and share learning on the biodiversity-climate-livelihoods nexus that will have an impact on ecosystem resilience to climate change, halting and reversing biodiversity loss and contributing to poverty alleviation,” said Luqman Ahmad, Senior Vice President, DAI.  

“As strategic science lead, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew also welcomes the new projects to the growing portfolio. The new evidence, data and knowledge across pressures/drivers, solutions and enablers for the different themes of the grant competitions will support the adoption of systems approaches in tackling the nexus of climate, biodiversity and livelihoods. By understanding and managing the complex interactions between science, society and the multiple interacting systems through temporal and spatial scales it will be possible to recommend solutions – orientated approaches for transformative change across different sectors and regions,” said Professor Monique Simmonds, Deputy Director, Science (Partnerships), The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.    

The 18 Projects funded by RGC2:

Assessing Carbon Credits as a Sustainable Funding Mechanism for Participatory Forest Management in Tanzania – Lead Grantee: Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania (Country: Tanzania)

Biodiversity for climate and social resilience: Empowerment of coastal communities in sustainable production practices in Ecuador – Lead Grantee: Escuela Superior Politecnica del Litoral – ESPOL, Ecuador (Country: Ecuador)

Biodiversity science in support of community-led conservation of threatened local forests in Tompotika, Central Sulawesi: Protecting biodiversity, ecosystem services and climate resilient local livelihoods – Lead Grantee: Missouri Botanical Garden (MBG), USA (Country: Indonesia)

Biodiversity potential for resilient livelihoods in the Lower Omo, Ethiopia – Lead Grantee: University of Leeds, UK (Country: Ethiopia)

BREL-Borneo: Benefits of Biodiverse Restoration for Ecosystems and Livelihoods in Borneo – Lead Grantee: Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, UK (Country: Indonesia)

Cataloguing and Rating of Opportunities for Side-lined Species in Restoration of Agriculturally Degraded Soils in Sub-Saharan Africa (CROSSROADS-SSA) – Lead Grantee: University of Aberdeen, UK (Country: Ethiopia)

Creation of an Intercultural biodiverse Seed Bank with the indigenous “Resguardo Puerto Naranjo” for enhancing restoration and conservation efforts in degraded areas in the Colombian Amazon – Lead Grantee: Fundación Tropenbos, Colombia (Country: Colombia)

EMBRACE: Engaging Local Communities in Minor Crop Utilisation for Biodiversity Conservation and Livelihood Enrichment – Lead Grantee: Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Crops Research Institute (CSIR-CRI), Ghana (Countries: Ghana and Kenya)

Enabling large-scale and climate-resilient forest restoration in the Eastern Amazon – Lead Grantee: Lancaster University, UK (Country: Brazil)

Exploring sustainable land use pathways for ecosystems, food security and poverty alleviation: opportunities for Indonesia’s food estate programme – Lead Grantee: University of Sussex, UK (Country: Indonesia)

Forest restoration on Indigenous lands: Restoring biodiversity for multiple ecosystem services, community resilience and financial sustainability through locally informed strategies and incentives – Lead Grantee: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama (Country: Panama)

Integrated Land and Water Management of the Greater Amanzule Wetland System – Lead Grantee: University of Education, Winneba, Ghana (Country: Ghana)

NATIVE: Sustainable Riverscape Management for Resilient Riverine Communities – Lead Grantee: University of Lincoln, UK (Countries: Colombia and Dominican Republic)

Nature based solutions for climate resilience of local and Indigenous communities in Guatemala – Lead Grantee: University of Greenwich, UK (Country: Guatemala)

Realising the potential of plant bioresources as new economic opportunities for the Ecuadorian Amazon: developing climate resilient sustainable bioindustry – Lead Grantee: Universidad Tecnica Particular de Loja, Ecuador (Country: Ecuador)  

Recognising and rewarding the contribution of Indigenous knowledge for the sustainable management of biodiversity – Lead Grantee: Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), USA (Country: Cambodia)

TRIALS: Translating Research into Action for Livelihoods and Seagrass: Establishing scientific foundation for seagrass restoration and blue carbon potential, with sustainable livelihood development for coastal communities in Central Vietnam – Lead Grantee: WWF-UK, UK (Country: Vietnam)

Using biodiversity to support climate resilient livelihoods in intact tropical peatlands  – Lead Grantee: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK   (Countries: Peru, the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo)  

 

Photo Credit (Detail): Laitche

 

 

 

 

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Biodiversity Potential for Resilient Livelihoods in the Lower Omo, Ethiopia

Project Details

Status: Active
GCBC Funding Round: RGC2
Grant Value: £750,000
Dates: Nov 23-Oct 26

Published 14 Jan 2025

GCBC

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Project Summary

Countries: Ethiopia

Delivery Partner: University of Leeds

Project Partners: Arba Minch University, Cool Ground

Principle Investigator: Dr Marta Gaworek-Michalczenia, University of Leeds

Project Description

The project will fill knowledge gaps and elucidate the potential for biodiversity to contribute to and improve livelihood security, adaptation to climate change, and resilience in Ethiopia’s new Tama Community Conservation Area (CCA), where there is a data paucity to manage from.

As the local communities hold rich traditional ecological knowledge, the project will combine systemic biodiversity monitoring with ethnobotany and ethnozoology qualitative data, to address the biodiversity-livelihoods knowledge gap. Datasets will then be input into population models with climate projections to explore future change in biodiversity and thus livelihoods.

The project will co-create management plans for the CCA with its staff, making them climate-resilient. Throughout all activities, capacity building will take place for continuing biodiversity monitoring and resilience assessment by CCA staff through linkages with AMU, so that the CCA can practice evidence-informed adaptive management in the future.

The main impact is to improve social-ecological resilience for beneficiaries in the Mursi, Bodi, Bacha, and Aari communities. The project will contribute to outcomes across the following strategic science principles – creating wide participation to support capacity building for the CCA and communities through robust data collection, sharing best practices and demonstrating what works to inform policy in the Tama CCA, but also other CCAs to inform their sustainable management.

Photograph (detail): Rod Waddington

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CROSSROADS-SSA: Cataloguing and Rating of Opportunities for Side-lined Species in Restoration of Agriculturally Degraded Soils in Sub-Saharan Africa

Project Details

Status: Active
GCBC Funding Round: RGC2
Grant Value: £999,408
Dates: Oct 24-Oct 27

Published 14 Jan 2025

GCBC

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Project Summary

Countries: Ethiopia

Delivery Partner: The University of Aberdeen

Project Partners: International Water Management Institute, Hawassa University (HU) Central Ethiopia Agricultural Research Institute (CEARI)

Principal Investigator: Professor Jo Smith, University of Aberdeen

Contact: jo.smith@abdn.ac.uk

We will catalogue and test use of “side-lined” or “underutilised” native plants to restore degraded soils in Ethiopia, characterising impacts on biodiversity, poverty alleviation, and climate adaptation and mitigation.

Challenge

Ethiopia faces the urgent challenge of restoring soil health while strengthening biodiversity, climate resilience and rural livelihoods. Despite the wealth of underutilized plant species in Ethiopia, such as drought-tolerant local crops, resilient perennials, nutrient-enhancing legumes, and bank-stabilizing vegetation, their potential remains largely untapped. Harnessing these species requires transformative land management that integrates indigenous practices with modern science.

The challenge is to build tools that capture traditional knowledge, new measurements and systems-based insights into soil, water, food, climate and farmer wellbeing. These tools must be adaptable, practical and co-designed with smallholder farmers, who are the primary agents of change, ensuring solutions are attractive, usable and widely disseminated. At the same time, policymakers need concise, actionable information to enable supportive frameworks. Achieving this integration across diverse stakeholders will determine whether Ethiopia can pioneer scalable approaches to soil restoration and resilience, offering lessons applicable across Sub-Saharan Africa.

 

Insight

Our project addresses the challenge of restoring soil health in Ethiopia by systematically cataloguing and characterising underutilised plant species with proven potential across Sub-Saharan Africa. Through systematic review, meta-analysis and systems modelling, we will build a comprehensive catalogue of species, enriched by community engagement in the Bilate catchment to ensure local relevance. Laboratory and field studies will then characterise their impacts on soil health, water retention, erosion control, crop productivity, climate adaptation, biodiversity and livelihoods. This integrated approach combines scientific expertise in microbial and plant diversity, dynamic simulation modelling, and socio-economic analysis with traditional knowledge and farmer perspectives.

The expected impact is a set of co-designed tools and dissemination methods, ranging from mobile apps and decision-support systems to paper-based formats in local languages, that empower smallholder farmers and inform policymakers. By evaluating dissemination strategies and framing training toolkits, we aim to ensure uptake and sustained use. Insights gained to date highlight the importance of combining indigenous practices with scientific studies and modelling to capture system-wide interactions between soil, water, biodiversity and livelihoods. This participatory, systems-based approach will generate scalable solutions for soil restoration and resilience, with lessons applicable across Sub-Saharan Africa.

 

Collaboration

The project is led by the University of Aberdeen, bringing multidisciplinary expertise across soil science, biodiversity, economics and climate resilience. Jo Smith (soil modelling) and Georgios Leontidis (machine learning) contribute to cataloguing under-utilised species, while Hawassa University contribute expertise in conservation and community engagement (led by Awdenegest Moges). From the University of Aberdeen, Paul Hallett (soil health, erosion), David Burslem (tropical biodiversity), Cecile Gubry Rangin (microbial ecology), Pete Smith (global change) and Euan Phimister (rural economics) bring expertise to characterise impacts on soil health, biodiversity, climate resilience and livelihoods.

Work led by Wolde Bori (International Water Management Institute) adds strengths in soil stabilisation, hydrology, irrigation, food production and gender inclusion. Getahun Yakob (Central Ethiopia Institute of Agricultural Research, Ethiopia), brings expertise in agroforestry and soil management, supporting field sites, and leading dissemination and community engagement. Together, these partnerships ensure robust, interdisciplinary delivery and impact.

Discover More

Read: Introducing CROSSROADS: Using native plants to restore biodegraded soils in Ethiopia

For years we have focussed on using organic wastes to increase soil organic matter. This often doesn’t work because households have other pressing needs for organic wastes, such as energy provision or building. By drawing on under-utilized plants, we open up new ways to improve soil health, benefitting the community by increasing crop production and climate resilience, while also promoting the unique biodiversity of these rich ecosystems.

Prof Jo Smith, University of Aberdeen

Professor Jo Smith

Jo Smith is Professor of Soil Organic Matter and Nutrient Modelling at the University of Aberdeen, specialising in systems modelling and sustainable land management. She has extensive experience leading interdisciplinary projects on agriculture, climate resilience and ecosystem services, with a strong track record of collaboration across international research networks.

Her work integrates biophysical modelling with socio-economic perspectives to assess impacts of land use change, organic waste recycling and underutilised plants on soil health, biodiversity, and livelihoods. As Principal Investigator, she will coordinate project delivery, ensuring robust scientific outputs and effective dissemination to global policy and practitioner communities.

 

Photo Credits: 1) Scientists from the project and participating farmers sit together in an outdoor circle, engaged in discussion. Photo credit: Prof. Awdenegest Moges. Header Image: Photography (detail): A. Davey

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Agriculture Conservation and Restoration Food Systems Improving livelihoods Nature based solutions

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Creation of an Intercultural Biodiverse Seed Bank with the Indigenous “Resguardo Puerto Naranjo” for Enhancing Restoration and Conservation Efforts in Degraded Areas in the Colombian Amazon

Project Details

Status: Active
GCBC Funding Round: RGC2
Grant Value: £167, 493
Dates: Nov 24- Oct 27

Published 14 Jan 2025

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Agriculture Conservation and Restoration Food Systems Improving livelihoods Indigenous Peoples Nature based solutions Partnership

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Project Summary

Countries: Colombia

Delivery Partner: Fundación Tropenbos Colombia

Principle Investigator: Carlos Alberto Rodríguez, Tropenbos, Colombia

Project Description

The programme will establish intercultural seed banks to store and distribute a wide variety of seeds of indigenous forest species for a variety of uses such as food, medicine, architecture and art, in line with the government’s restoration objectives.

The programme will integrate Indigenous and scientific knowledge to identify and geo-reference seed source trees. Laboratory tests will determine the most efficient local practices for seed production. Local methodologies, participatory action research and quantitative data coming from a live laboratory will be deployed to create a sustainable strategy for intercultural seed banks suitable for the climate and geography of Puerto Naranjo Resguardo and the Amazon.

A systemic approach will allow for innovation in the creation of a scalable plan that positions intercultural seed banks as a local solution to help improve livelihoods, address the current effects of climate change and restore biodiversity in indigenous territories.  Outputs will include local research, scientific articles, a collaborative database, storytelling and a business plan for the community to transform the initiative into a sustainable income-generating opportunity.

Photograph (detail): Dmitry Makeev

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Read: Tropenbos Colombia Establishes Centre for Intercultural Tree Seed Management

 

 

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Agriculture Conservation and Restoration Food Systems Improving livelihoods Indigenous Peoples Nature based solutions Partnership

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