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Community Organizations Tropenbos International
Tropenbos International
Tropenbos International
Acronym
TBI
Network
Non-profit organization
Phone number
+31 317 702 020

Location

Lawickse Allee 11
1st floor
Wageningen
Netherlands
Postal address
Tropenbos International
P.O.Box 232
6700 AE Wageningen
The Netherlands
Working languages
Dutch
English

Tropenbos International envisions a future in which forests and trees are used sustainably for the benefit of local people and the global community. By using evidence to make conscious choices and finding the right balance between the needs of all the stakeholders involved, we contribute to sustainable solutions for forested landscapes.

Tropenbos International (TBI) brings the knowledge together to address complex questions regarding sustainable management of forests and trees, organizes interactions with all the stakeholders and actively helps to create broad support.

We started in 1986 as a Dutch non -governmental non-profit organization, in 2017 we became a network of independent member organisations. We work in more than ten countries in the south, through our network of six local members and collaborations with partners elsewhere.

Members:

Resources

Displaying 21 - 25 of 25

Student-Led School Sanitation and Hygiene

General

Student-Led School Sanitation and Hygiene (SLSSH) is a student hygiene and school sanitation project designed whereby students take the lead in the process of implementation. It is the students that initiate and lead change processes by establishing their own committees and setting their own bylaws to improve their school compound sanitation and students’ hygiene.

Objectives

The project Student-Led School Sanitation and Hygiene (SLSSH) is adopted to school setting from Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) to contribute to the effort of Ethiopian Ministry of Health to improve the sanitation and hygiene service and reach 82% of the population in sanitation and hygiene and Open defecation Free (OPF) society by 2015 and assured child friendly school environment through hygiene and sanitation intervention to contribute to the improvement of quality education

Other

implementing

Target Groups

The project will be implemented in 2 rural primary schools of Liben-Chukala located in East Shoa Zone of Oromia National Regional State. Here the school community (teachers, students and supporting staffs) will directly benefited from the intervention of this project. As of the current data from the schools, +/- 2400 students and 90 teachers and supporting staffs will be addressed. Apparently, a total of +/- 15 000 community members will be indirectly benefited from the SLSSH project to be implemented in 3 primary schools.

Strenghtening Local Communities Resilience to Climate Change Sudan

General

To contribute to the strengthening of local communities' resilience and sustainable livelihoods' to better respond to and cope with climate change: The overall objective of the proposed action is in line with the objective of the European Union (EU) GCCA+ programme, aiming at reducing communities’ vulnerability to climate change. The action will contribute to an increase of income at household level in targeted communities, gained from sustainable, adapted farming and pastoralism and/or alternative Income Generating Activities (IGA)s. This increase of income is used as a proxy indicator for resilience. NLRC lead in partnership with SRCS, Danish RC, Swedish RC and Spanish RC Co-funding PMF for EUR480.000

Objectives

Activities under Result 1: A 1.1.1 Conduct a natural resource mapping and feasibility studies for better land use planning and implementation (as a baseline). A 1.1.2 Set up and train community based natural resources management (CBNRM) groups to develop and follow up on CBNRM plans based on participatory assessments. A 1.1.3 Conduct awareness campaigns to all stakeholders on implications of climate change and climate variability as well as the available of early warning information sources and relevant early action A 1.1.4 Facilitate exchange of knowledge and good practices (Case studies) on natural resource management and CCA between communities. A 1.1.5 Carry out capacity building of local partner (SRCS) on climate change adaptation (CCA), NRM and project management. Activities under Result 2: A1.2.1 Support the establishment/improvement (esp. targeting women), of nurseries to support rehabilitation of communal farmland, forests and home gardens as IGA. A 1.2.2 Rehabilitate/expand/establish community forest and/or shelterbelts and windbreaks (depending on relevance and feasibility). A 1.2.3 Construct/rehabilitate water harvesting structures for reforestation, water conservation and other water provision facilities for subsistence/communal /small-scale farmers and farmland to adapt to the variation in climate change. A 1.2.4 Provide training to community water committees on operation and maintenance of water structures and energy facilities. A 1.2.5 Enhance the household flexibility and resilience to handle climate change and external stresses and shocks by a range of gender-sensitive enhancement initiatives, e.g. access to credit/loan as IGA (VSLA), as identified in the NRM assessments A 1.2.6 To cope with climate changes and combat desertification, provide support to local government agriculture, forestry and veterinary extension services and research centers to reach out to the target communities for training on agriculture techniques, applying smart agricultural approach principles adapted to climate change and the sustainable management of natural resources through field schools /demonstration plots. Activities under Result 3: A 1.3.1 Increase available irrigation water through the maintenance of existing boreholes and improving equipment and installations using solar power energy. A 1.3.2 Promote the use of improved/alternative solutions for cooking, such as fuel-efficient stoves or biogas, making use of revolving fund or IGA development for sustainability. A 1.3.3 Conduct community awareness campaign and facilitate exchange of knowledge and good practices on the use of renewable energy between communities through exchange visits.

Target Groups

90,330 beneficiaries (across all activities)

Sustainably managed landscapes in Atewa and Juabeso-Bia in Ghana to enhance IPGs and livelihoods

General

GLA Country Context Analysis: The Green Livelihoods Programme (GLA) programme in Ghana works in the Juabeso-Bia landscape in the Western Region and Atewa forest landscape in the country’s Eastern Region. Both landscapes are situated in the tropical evergreen forest zone and are rich in biodiversity, as illustrated by areas that have been designated as Global Significant Biodiversity Areas (GSBA). Both landscapes support the provision of the four International Public Goods (IPGs): water, food security, biodiversity and climate resilience. Juabesa-Bia landscape contains the only biosphere in Ghana and is extensively covered by cocoa plantations. Atewa contains the headwater for some of the important water systems in Ghana notably the Densuriver, on which a major part of the population in Accra depends. However, the landscapes are under serious threats from mining; illegal logging and expansion of farming. The threats are affecting its ability to support the provision of IPGs in the long term and the status of the GSBAs areas. Both landscapes are representative for larger parts of Ghana and face problems that are wide spread in the country. The GLA Ghana programme will be headed by Tropenbos International Ghana, A Rocha Ghana and Friends of the Earth Ghana. Other CSOs will be involved in the implementation of the programme.

Objectives

GLA Country Theory of Change 2016-2020: The GLA programme encourages governments at different levels to enact, implement, enforce and monitor policies and regulations, private sector to apply best sustainable practices, and local communities to be responsible stewards of the natural resources. Local communities will be supported to adopt sustainable natural resources (NR) practices and use nature-based approaches such as agroforestry and agro-ecological farming practices. For these communities, especially women, the reform of the land and tree tenure system is important to make benefit sharing arrangements more equitable. An important instrument to ensure communities’ rights is the Community Resource Management Areas (CREMA) concept, of which the establishment, legalization and up scaling will be promoted. The same accounts for integrated land and water management with strong community participation, which will give local communities greater access to, and control over, their landscapes. As overall approach, the programme will support local communities to engage government and the private sector in the sustainable management of forested resources. District assemblies (DAs) will be encouraged to integrate biodiversity, climate resilience and responsible NR approaches into medium-term development Plans (MTDPs) and participatory land use planning. And efforts will be made to get the private sector to adopt and apply climate smart practices and agro-commodity production systems, landscape standards and sustainable sourcing practices. To achieve these outcomes the Theory of Change shows the following strategies / pathways: the formation of CSO networks and platforms; gender and social inclusiveness in landscape activities and partner organizations; capacity development of CSOs to generate and use evidence; capacity development of CSOs for advocacy and lobby actions; organizational strengthening of participating CSOs.

Other

See attached documents for a brief summary of the Annual plans of the implementing organisation

Green Livelihoods Alliance

General

Forested landscapes form the cornerstone of the livelihoods of about 1.2 billion people almost 20% of the world’s population. A large proportion of these people are among the poorest in the world. They are often particularly disadvantaged because their rights over land and natural resources are frequently ill-defined and far from assured. Forested landscapes in developing countries are also crucially linked to the rest of the world. The natural services they provide are regarded as International Public Goods (IPGs). The services climate resilience, biodiversity, and food and water security are critical for growing agro-commodities that are consumed globally. Despite the tremendous services forested landscapes provide, almost a third of the world’s forests have disappeared and another 20% of global forest cover is seriously degraded. Unsustainable cultivation of food, animal feed and energy crops is one of the root causes of deforestation as the expansion of plantations leads to further deforestation and land degradation. Incentivized by agricultural and trade policies, international actors such as multinational corporations and investors are major drivers of forest loss. Still, also local communities and small, local companies can contribute heavily to loss and degradation of forests. Another important driver of deforestation and land degradation is the lack of political and private will in many low- and lower-middle-income countries to safeguard the critical functions that forests provide. Scientific and empirical research shows that informed local communities with ownership of or access to land play a crucial role in safeguarding productive forested landscapes. Inclusive and sustainable governance of forested landscapes is founded on informed joint decision-making and collaboration by all stakeholders – government agencies, the private sector and local communities. This type of governance ensures equal access to natural resources and their benefits, ensuring thriving green livelihoods of local communities. The Green Livelihoods Alliance will act to support – and simultaneously learn from – local communities in forested landscapes. With our mutually reinforcing networks, tools, knowledge and experience, Alliance members Milieudefensie, IUCN NL and Tropenbos International work with civil society organisations (CSOs) who share our goals to represent and empower local communities in lobby & advocacy to bring about inclusive and sustainable governance of forested landscapes. Where possible, through collaboration the Green Livelihoods Alliance will facilitate multi-stakeholder dialogues with a wider group of CSOs, local and international companies and governments to improve policies and practices. Where necessary, we will empower CSO partners to press public and private stakeholders for change.

Objectives

The objective of the Green Livelihoods Alliance is to strengthen the abilities and effectiveness of Southern CSOs to influence policies and practices to achieve the inclusive and sustainable governance of forested landscapes. In these landscapes local communities can enjoy secure access to ecosystem services on the basis of three core elements: 1) Equitable access to and better control over land, natural resources and rights; 2) Inclusive landscape governance; and 3) Nature-based approaches to conservation, sustainable management and forest restoration , including for enhanced climate resilience.

Other

The Alliance will initiate the “Forested Landscapes for Equity Programme” in close cooperation with its CSO partners. In this inception phase, the Alliance will dovetail the capacity building and country and driver-specific lobby & advocacy strategies. A thorough context analysis will be conducted and during inception workshops, the Alliance’s Theory of Change will be contextualized according to country and driver. Based on the outcomes of the workshops, lobby & advocacy strategies and interventions for dialogue and dissent will be designed. Alliance partners and CSO partners will also carry out a capacity development needs and assets analysis to identify relevant capacities for the envisaged strategies and interventions. During the inception phase, baselines will be set for capacity development as well as for thematic areas.

Target Groups

Civil society; Governments; International institutions; Private sector actors, Knowledge Institutions

Curbing the impacts of palm oil and soy agriculture by strengthening cooperative lobby and advocacy worldwide

General

GLA Context analysis: A series of comprehensive studies in recent years emphasized the dominant role of commercial agriculture, notably soy and palm oil, in tropical deforestation. Indonesia and Malaysia dominate the international market for palm oil but might be experiencing problems to grow the operations further because of high production costs and lower availability of land. This explains increased investments in low-cost frontiers in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin-America, including Nigeria, Colombia, Peru, Liberia and Cameroon, amongst others. Soy production is still on the increase in Latin America, and now takes up a large part of total cropland in Latin America: Bolivia 36%, Brazil 42%, Paraguay 55%, and Argentina 54%. Global demand for palm oil is growing, with for example a sharp rise in the EU for palm oil based biodiesel. Soy production in Latin America has grown 300% from 1999-2013. Due to the many negative impacts on water, food security, climate change, livelihood, human rights, land rights and biodiversity, associated with commercial agriculture and the resulting deforestation, the GLA program will work to mitigate impacts, improve operations towards sustainable levels and halt the expansion of palm oil and soy plantations through national and international lobby.

Objectives

GLA Theory of Change 2016-2020: The agro-commodities program focuses on international lobbying goals that complement national GLA agrocommodity lobbying strategies. It will support national lobby strategies by bringing local cases and interests to the attention of the international press and politics. In addition, the program will facilitate South-South and South-North learning, capacity building and knowledge sharing. At the national level, the alliance works towards improved (implementation of) national policies and laws that conform to international standards and agreements. Where applicable, the alliance will work on the better uptake and implementation of safeguards in palm oil and soy value chains, responsible production and consumption, and on halting the expansion of palm oil production that leads to deforestation. The GLA supports the protection of rights of people whose rights have been violated. The program will focus on international public sector policies within the EU and the UN. In the EU for instance on the Finance Regulation, binding measures in the EU Deforestation Action plan, the 2030 EU Climate & Energy package and the Renewable Energy Directive (to stop the use of palm oil and other agricultural crops for biofuels from 2021 onwards). The alliance aims to achieve regulation of the financial sector to eliminate land grabbing and deforestation for agro-commodity expansion. It will also stimulate the uptake of best practice standards in palm oil and soy and policy support to that purpose. In the 5-year agro-commodities program, the alliance will support CSOs in palm oil and soy producing countries in increasing their knowledge and skills related to international policy processes, lobbying, case work and policy analysis. In addition, CSO partners will actively cooperate with and empower local communities to monitor local developments and advocate for their rights.

Other

See attached documents for a brief summary of the Annual plans of the implementing organisation