ESRAG is proud to present this webinar on the breakthroughs now possible through Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration. Tony Rinaudo, Principal Climate Action Advisor for World Vision Australia, describes how a barren landscape can be restored by empowering and training local communities to manage it. Farmers learn to protect and revive existing tree stumps and roots that still grow even in degraded land. The original tree population can be regenerated without major financial costs. This short World Vision video describes the FMNR process. https://youtu.be/0xF27ROVrbg
Brian Gower, Senior Director for Foundations and Partnerships at World Vision USA, describes how this strategy can be used to create a Rotary Global Grant, citing the Rotary Club of Los Angeles $1 million project with Niger. World Vision and Rotary now have a MoU which clubs and districts can also use to create such projects of scale and impact. ESRAG members can participate worldwide in the FMNR Workshop simultaneously at 7:00 pm Feb. 27 (Chicago) and noon Feb. 28 (Melbourne) via Zoom. REGISTER HERE. World Vision has a Memorandum of Understanding with Rotary and has implemented many global grant projects on areas of focus shared by both organizations.
Speaker Bios:
Tony Rinaudo served as an agriculturalist and humanitarian in Niger Republic from 1981 to 1999. There, he oversaw long-term rural development and periodic, large-scale relief programs. Through these he contributed to a transformation in how Nigeriens farm, and the reforesting of over six million hectares of land, which still inspires re-greening movements globally. For his 18 years’ service to humanity and the environment, the government of Niger awarded him its highest honor for an expatriate “The Order of Agriculture with Merit” (Merite Agricole du Niger).
Since joining World Vision Australia in 1999, Tony initiated and/or oversaw important land regeneration projects worldwide. Serving now as Principal Climate Action Advisor, he promotes forestry and agro-forestry initiatives globally within the World Vision partnership, and beyond. He is widely recognized for his influential contribution to heightened international awareness on the impact and efficacy, and uptake of, simple, low cost, scalable methods of reforestation known as FMNR (Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration).
Among major awards Tony and FMNR have recently received are the 2018 Right Livelihood Award “for demonstrating on a large scale how drylands can be greened at minimal cost, improving the livelihoods of millions of people”, and the World Future Council Agroecology Award. In 2019, Tony was appointed as a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia
Brian Gower is Senior Director for Foundations and Partnerships at World Vision US, including serving as Rotary International Liaison with World Vision, He has over 17+ years of International Development experience with vast field experience in Sub-Sahara Africa and Asia, serving as Country Program Manager for 8 countries. He has been an Operations Director for over 5 years.