Social Innovations to Protect Soils and Empower People

Scaling sustainable land management practices through transdisciplinary research

This project has developed a range of social innovations that are critical to addressing some entrenched challenges that prevent smallholder farmers from investing in sustainable land management practices. These innovations address, among other systemic issues: insecure access to land for women and young people; informal, and unpredictable, land-leasing arrangements; limited farmer-to-farmer knowledge transfer; and agricultural extension services that are not geared to the needs of poor and marginalized farmers.
Together with our partners in Benin, Burkina Faso, and Kenya, we facilitate participatory processes to develop practical solutions to these problems. We pay particular attention to those left out of mainstream planning processes with the aim of practical, context-specific solutions that are led by the most affected groups.
In western Kenya, working with the grassroots women’s organization, Shibuye Community Health Workers, we pioneered a process for establishing land lease guidelines, enabling women, and young people, to secure a livelihood from farming. In Burkina Faso, with Groupe de Recherche et d’Action sur le Foncier, we introduced a process of negotiated land rights transfer to improve women’s tenure situation within family farms. In northern Benin, TMG and our partners developed the community-led, 'Tem Sesiabun Gorado' model. The aim is to improve existing farmer-to-farmer extension strategies through a scalable model for catalyzing the diffusion of knowledge and practices on sustainable land management.
To learn more about the project, visit its official
Team

News & Blog Posts

International Women's Day 2023
News

International Women's Day 2023

Some highlights from our work
Social innovations to protect soils and empower people - new publications
News

Social innovations to protect soils and empower people - new publications

Transforming food systems from the bottom up and securing land access for smallholders
Introducing: the Governor's Day with Farmers
News

Introducing: the Governor's Day with Farmers

A platform for farmers to directly interact with policymakers to share their concerns, needs and interests
To protect ecosystems, invest in women’s capacities!
Blog Post

To protect ecosystems, invest in women’s capacities!

This International Women’s Day we highlight the importance of women to the success of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030
Social innovations for healthy soils and human well-being
Blog Post

Social innovations for healthy soils and human well-being

Supporting smallholders in safeguarding soil ecosystems
Knowledge that lasts: Repurposing farmer-led extension models in Benin
Blog Post

Knowledge that lasts: Repurposing farmer-led extension models in Benin

Testing farmer-led knowledge sharing approaches for strengthening sustainable land management and climate resilience in Benin

Publications

Transforming food systems from the bottom up

Info Brief

Transforming food systems from the bottom up

Larissa Stiem-Bhatia, Jes Weigelt and Kader Baba

How locally developed social innovations can strengthen enabling environments for soil restoration

Securing land access for smallholders

Info Brief

Securing land access for smallholders

William Onura, Serah Kiragu-Wissler, Larissa Stiem-Bhatia, Washe Kazungu, Violet Shivutse and Doreen Magotsi

How a community-led process is strengthening leasing rights in western Kenya

The Tem Sesiabun Gorado model - A farmer-led knowledge diffusion approach to promote sustainable agriculture in northern Benin

Technical Guide

The Tem Sesiabun Gorado model - A farmer-led knowledge diffusion approach to promote sustainable agriculture in northern Benin

Check Abdel Kader Baba, Dr. Ismail Moumouni Moussa

This guide is designed to facilitate understanding, and implementation of the Tem Sesiabun Gorado (TSG) model, a farmer-led knowledge diffusion approach.

Modèle Tem Sesiabun Gorado - Une approche de partage des connaissances sur les bonnes pratiques agricoles

Technical Guide

Modèle Tem Sesiabun Gorado - Une approche de partage des connaissances sur les bonnes pratiques agricoles

Check Abdel Kader Baba, Dr. Ismail Moumouni Moussa

Approche de gestion durable des terres

Videos

  • First Governor's Day with Farmers - Kakamega County, Kenya

    A novel approach aiming to bring farmers and agricultural policymakers closer together.

  • Tem Sesiabun Gorado - An innovative model for knowledge transfer

    A novel farmer-to-farmer knowledge transfer model

  • Tem Sesiabun Gorado - Un modèle innovateur de transfert de connaissances

    Un nouveau modèle de transfert de connaissances entre agriculteur·rice·s

  • Transforming food systems from the bottom up: Social innovations for soil restoration

    A conversation around land rights and agricultural transformation

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