Collective Action & Property Rights News

This Week’s Posts

2015-07-17T11:17:00.001-04:00

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS: Pathways to Shared Prosperity for Forest Users and Forest-Reliant Economies, FLARE Conference. As part of the FLARE conference, the organizers invite abstracts for papers on Pathways to Shared Prosperity for Forest Users and Forest-Reliant Economies. Abstracts should be sent to watkinsc@umich.edu by July 31, 2015, with the subject line, “Pathways to Prosperity full paper abstract”. Abstract guidelines can be found here.

EMPLOYMENT: Post-Doctoral Fellow - Social Science, CIMMYT CIMMYT is seeking a dynamic, innovative, self-motivated, and results-oriented social scientist to work on improving the livelihoods of maize and wheat farmers in the developing world and particularly in Latin America. See full details here.

EMPLOYMENT: Program Director - Water, Land and Ecosystems The CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE) is looking for a seasoned global leader in the agriculture and natural resource management sector, who has a clear vision of how agricultural production can contribute to healthy ecosystems, and vibrant and inclusive economic growth in the developing world. See full details here.

PUBLICATION: Pro-poor Resource Governance under Changing Climates (IASS) The Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) partnered with local civil society organizations from six countries - Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Ecuador, and India – to document and analyze cases of pro-poor governance of natural resources. Please find the results and findings of the study available here: "Pro-poor Resource Governance under Changing Climates".

PUBLICATION: Pro-poor Resource Governance under Changing Climates (IASS)

2015-07-16T08:37:00.001-04:00

The Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) partnered with local civil society organizations from six countries - Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Ecuador, and India – to document and analyze cases of pro-poor governance of natural resources. They aimed to answer the question of how to make resource governance, in the context of climate changes, a pro-poor process. Please find the results and findings of the study available here: "Pro-poor Resource Governance under Changing Climates".

EMPLOYMENT: Technical Experts, UNDP

2015-07-13T13:38:00.001-04:00

To support UNDP’s work in the areas of gender equality, climate change, and sustainable development, and achieving the goals of the Gender Equality Strategy, UNDP is seeking at least 8 Technical Expert(s) who specialize in the following thematic areas to be retained under a Long Term Agreement (LTA) contract to provide expert inputs as and when required (see the full announcement for more information).

The deadline for application is 17^th July 2015.

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS: Pathways to Shared Prosperity for Forest Users and Forest-Reliant Economies, FLARE Conference

2015-07-13T13:36:00.001-04:00

As part of the FLARE conference, the organizers invite abstracts for papers on Pathways to Shared Prosperity for Forest Users and Forest-Reliant Economies. Papers will strengthen available evidence and knowledge about the conditions under which forests have historically been the source of prosperity and reductions in poverty, and how they can in future serve to improve livelihoods and increase welfare and wealth. Papers may be based historical/more recent evidence or use simulations, may focus on local to national/global levels, and may use conceptual approaches from the social or the ecological sciences. Papers will be particularly attentive to concerns of generalizability and representation of key social, economic, and cultural processes that can lead to greater prosperity from forest-related activities.

Selected paper authors will be invited to present their work at the FLARE network conference November 27-30, 2015, at the Musée de l’Homme. Relevant travel and participation expenses will be covered by IFRI and PROFOR, and a final set of papers will be published as a special issue of a major peer-reviewed journal. Authors will also receive $3,000 USD for the paper.

Abstracts should be sent to watkinsc@umich.edu by July 31, 2015, with the subject line, “Pathways to Prosperity full paper abstract”. Abstract guidelines can be found here. Selected authors will be notified by August 7, 2015 (after which registration for the FLARE conference will be open). Draft papers will be due October 1, 2015.

EMPLOYMENT: Post-Doctoral Fellow - Social Science, CIMMYT

2015-07-13T13:34:00.001-04:00

CIMMYT is seeking a dynamic, innovative, self-motivated, and results-oriented social scientist to work on improving the livelihoods of maize and wheat farmers in the developing world and particularly in Latin America. The position focuses on social science research for development to raise agricultural productivity, profitability and sustainability, particularly through improved seed and sustainable intensification. The candidate will explore technological and institutional innovations that increase productivity and improve access to markets for resource-poor farmers, help CIMMYT and policy makers understand the key constraints to agricultural development, and translate his/her vision into a productive and exciting research agenda. The candidate will support the innovative Sustainable Modernization of Traditional Agriculture (MasAgro) Project in Mexico, and particularly to Take it To the Farmer (TTF). The candidate will work as a member of CIMMYT’s Socio-Economics Program in close collaboration with CIMMYT’s Global Conservation Agriculture Program and Genetic Resources Program with public, private, local, and international partners.

See full details here.

EMPLOYMENT: Program Director - Water, Land and Ecosystems

2015-07-13T09:42:00.001-04:00

The CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE) promotes an innovative approach to sustainable intensification in which a healthy functioning ecosystem is seen as a prerequisite to agricultural development, resilience of food systems and human well-being. WLE is looking for a seasoned global leader in the agriculture and natural resource management sector, who has a clear vision of how agricultural production can contribute to healthy ecosystems, and vibrant and inclusive economic growth in the developing world. The candidate should have strong scientific credentials, and also understand the process of uptake and guiding research towards outcomes and wider-scale development impact.

The candidate will help steer WLE in its concluding year and lead the program into a successful second phase, which is expected to be a six-year USD 450 million program. The person should possess (i) demonstrated experience engaging in high-level policy processes, and influencing debates
around the future of water, land and agricultural management; (ii) a dynamic personality to catalyze broad-based partnerships and collaboration with research agencies, national governments, the private sector, development agencies and others to ensure WLE is achieving its outcomes; (iii) a
proven track record in fund-raising, and the ability to galvanize diverse funding sources from bilateral agencies to public-private partnerships and alternative foundation funding; and (iv) solid managerial skills and experience in coordinating large, multi-sector programs in Africa and/or Asia.
The position holder will be based at IWMI headquarters in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The person will report to the Director General (DG) of IWMI on functional, operational and administrative matters, and to the Chair of the WLE Steering Committee on strategic matters related to the program.

See full details here.

This Week’s Posts

2015-07-09T17:21:00.001-04:00

TRAINING: Short Courses on Commons Management and Governance: The Countryside and Community Research Institute at the University of Gloucestershire (UK), and the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) announce a new series of online short courses that focus on different aspects of commons: their management, governance and sustainability. For more details and how to register, please visit here or here.

PUBLICATION: Collective Action within the Household: Insights from Natural Resource Management Authors Cheryl Doss and Ruth Meinzen-Dick draw on the Institutional Analysis and Development Framework, based in the natural resource management literature, to explore the factors that encourage and inhibit collective action at the household level. The paper provides insights into how to understand collective action problems within the household as dynamic, multi-actor situations with outcomes that can be evaluated by multiple criteria, not just efficiency. The article is available open access here.

CALLL FOR ABSTRACTS: 1st Annual FLARE Conference: The first annual conference of the FLARE (Forests and Livelihoods: Assessment, Research, and Engagement) network will be held in December. FLARE aims to advance cutting edge knowledge and practices regarding forest-based livelihoods, biodiversity, and climate change. The meeting will help improve our understanding of the approaches, methods, tools, and indicators to assess how, where, and why governance of forest and forest mosaics for improving livelihoods works, and how it can be strengthened. The organizers are accepting proposals for oral presentations, lightning talks, posters, and workshops that address one or more of the following six sub-themes related to forests and livelihoods: 1) Governance and Landscapes; 2) Agricultural Commodities; 3) Social and Biological Aspects of Forest Dependence; 4) Impact Evaluations; 5) Pathways to Prosperity; 6) Climate. Abstract submission deadline is July 15, 2015. See full details here.

EMPLOYMENT: Research Fellow - Gender, Environment and Development, Stockholm Environment Institute The Asia Centre of the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) seeks a mid-level researcher to contribute to a growing research cluster on gender, environment and development in the Asia-Pacific region. Led by Dr. Bernadette P. Resurrección, the group is actively engaged in research, capacity building and advisory services in environment and development policy contexts, utilizing gender and social analytical tools and perspectives. See full details here.

TRAINING AND FUNDING: ITC-ILO Gender Academy The ITC-ILO Gender Academy is confirmed to take place in Turin from 16 to 27 November 2015. An initial lot of 30 fellowships covering tuition fees to participate in the Gender Academy is available. For more information on how to apply for fellowships please consult: http://gender-campus.itcilo.org/academy/index.php?mod=if_fellowships or write to: genderacademy@itcilo.org

FUNDING: Cooperative Research Program ,OECD: The OECD's Cooperative Research Program is inviting applications for international conferences (e.g., workshops, congresses, and symposia) and fellowships from research scientists in agriculture and natural resources. Applications should fit into one of the three following research themes: The Natural Resources Challenge, Sustainability in Practice, or the The Food Chain. The application deadline is on September 10, 2015. Application information is available at the following link.

EMPLOYMENT: Global Agricultural and Food Team, Chicago Council on Global Affairs:The Chicago Council on Global Affairs is expanding its global agriculture and food team. They are seeking a Director, Global Agriculture and Food and Research Assistant, Global Agriculture and Food

TRAINING: Short Courses on Commons Management and Governance

2015-07-08T17:15:00.001-04:00

The Countryside and Community Research Institute at the University of Gloucestershire (UK), and the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) announce a new series of online short courses that focus on different aspects of commons: their management, governance and sustainability. These courses are targeted at those wanting to learn more about commons management and/or social action. It will be of interest to practitioners involved in supporting community development, as well as a wide range of those involved in, or wanting to learn about, the basics of taking action to protect rights of access to common resources.

The courses will be delivered jointly by the in both English and Spanish, under the auspices of the International Association for the Study of the Commons (IASC) and supported by a development grant from the IFPRI. Course delivery is entirely on-line and will use a variety of materials, such as papers, video and audio pods, with a lively discussion forum. These distance learning courses provide a structured approach that takes participants through the materials. A number of highly experienced tutors will actively engage with participants to enhance the learning experience.

Two short courses will start in September 2015

· Managing our Common Resources (available in English and Spanish)

· Defending the Commons – Strategies for Action (available in English only)

Both courses will start on 28^th September and finish on 20^th November 2015 at a cost of £100 per course.

For more details and how to register, please visit here or here.

PUBLICATION: Collective Action within the Household: Insights from Natural Resource Management

2015-07-08T17:10:00.001-04:00

Authors Cheryl Doss and Ruth Meinzen-Dick draw on the Institutional Analysis and Development Framework, based in the natural resource management literature, to explore the factors that encourage and inhibit collective action at the household level. The paper provides insights into how to understand collective action problems within the household as dynamic, multi-actor situations with outcomes that can be evaluated by multiple criteria, not just efficiency. The article is available open access here.

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS: 1st Annual FLARE Conference

2015-07-08T17:04:00.001-04:00

In early December, Paris will host the Conference of Parties on Climate Change. The Musee de l’Homme Research Group on Social and Natural Evolution, the International Forestry Resources and Institutions (IFRI) research network (coordinated from the School of Natural Resource and Environment at the University of Michigan), and Program on Forests of the World Bank (PROFOR) announce the first annual conference of the FLARE (Forests and Livelihoods: Assessment, Research, and Engagement) network. FLARE aims to advance cutting edge knowledge and practices regarding forest-based livelihoods, biodiversity, and climate change. The meeting will help improve our understanding of the approaches, methods, tools, and indicators to assess how, where, and why governance of forest and forest mosaics for improving livelihoods works, and how it can be strengthened.

Proposals for oral presentations, lightning talks, posters, and workshops can address one or more of the following six sub-themes related to forests and livelihoods: 1) Governance and Landscapes; 2) Agricultural Commodities; 3) Social and Biological Aspects of Forest Dependence; 4) Impact Evaluations; 5) Pathways to Prosperity; 6) Climate

Abstract submission deadline is July 15, 2015. Notification of acceptance/decline will be given by August 1, 2015.

See full details here.

EMPLOYMENT: Research Fellow - Gender, Environment and Development, Stockholm Environment Institute

2015-07-08T17:03:00.001-04:00

The Asia Centre of the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) seeks a mid-level researcher to contribute to a growing research cluster on gender, environment and development in the Asia-Pacific region. Led by Dr. Bernadette P. Resurrección, the group is actively engaged in research, capacity building and advisory services in environment and development policy contexts, utilizing gender and social analytical tools and perspectives.

They are specifically seeking a social scientist who can apply gender analytical tools and gender mainstreaming approaches related to technical aspects of environment and development – climate change and disasters, water, energy, land, forests, ecosystems, food – within the region. They are particularly interested in complementing our existing capacities by bringing in a new recruit with significant inter-disciplinary experience in gender mainstreaming technical environment programs and projects. The candidate will have a background in any or some of the following inter-disciplinary fields or their respective cognates: geography, gender and development, development studies, rural/urban development, environmental studies, agronomy, science, technology and society studies, and the water sciences.

See full details here.

TRAINING AND FUNDING: ITC-ILO Gender Academy

2015-07-08T16:59:00.001-04:00

The ITC-ILO Gender Academy is confirmed to take place in Turin from 16 to 27 November 2015.

An initial lot of 30 fellowships covering tuition fees to participate in the Gender Academy is available.

Priority is normally given to nationals from ODA recipient countries however a limited number of fellowship is also available for nationals from OECD countries. Geographical and gender balance are among the selection criteria for assigning available fellowships.

UN staff or from international development agencies, including bilateral cooperation agencies, are not eligible for fellowships. However special arrangements apply to organizations enrolling more than two participants.

For more information on how to apply for fellowships please consult:

http://gender-campus.itcilo.org/academy/index.php?mod=if_fellowships

or write to: genderacademy@itcilo.org

Deadline for application : 14 August 2015

FUNDING: Cooperative Research Program ,OECD

2015-07-08T16:56:00.001-04:00

The OECD's Cooperative Research Program is inviting applications for international conferences (e.g., workshops, congresses, and symposia) and fellowships from research scientists in agriculture and natural resources. The aim of the Conference Sponsorship scheme is to inform policy makers, industry, and academia of current and future research, scientific developments and opportunities in these areas. Applications should fit into one of the three following research themes:

The Natural Resources Challenge
Sustainability in Practice
The Food Chain

The application deadline is on September 10, 2015. Application information is available at the following link.

EMPLOYMENT: Global Agricultural and Food Team, Chicago Council on Global Affairs

2015-07-08T16:55:00.001-04:00

The Chicago Council on Global Affairs is expanding its global agriculture and food team. They are seeking a Director, Global Agriculture and Food and Research Assistant, Global Agriculture and Food.

This Week’s Posts

2015-05-19T09:02:00.001-04:00

FELLOWSHIP: Salween and Mekong River Basin Researchers: Young or mid-career university, civil society and government researchers on the Nu-Thanlwin-Salween and the Mekong River basins are welcome to submit proposals for fellowships focusing on research related to water governance, healthy rivers, river food systems, healthy landscape and ecosystems, and gender and social justice. For the Nu-Thanlwin-Salween basin, please visit here for full details and for Mekong, please visit here for further details. For the Mekong basin, please visit here. Application deadline is May 22.

EMPLOYMENT: Researcher on Women and Land (Human Rights Watch): The Women’s Rights Division of Human Rights Watch (“HRW”) is seeking highly-qualified applicants for the position of Researcher on Women and Land. Please see here for more details.

PUBLICATIONS: Third World Quarterly special issue: “Food Sovereignty: convergence and contradictions,condition and challenges”: Edited by Eric Holt-Gimenez, Alberto Alonso-Fradejas, Todd Holmes, and Martha Jane Robbins, this special issue on food sovereignty is framed in relation to a broader political and intellectual initiative that aims to deepen academic discussions on food sovereignty. Click here for free access.

FELLOWSHIP: Salween and Mekong River Basin Researchers

2015-05-14T15:27:00.001-04:00

Young or mid-career university, civil society and government researchers on the Nu-Thanlwin-Salween and the Mekong River basins are welcome to submit proposals on the following research themes:

water governance;
healthy rivers;
river food systems;
healthy landscape and ecosystems;
gender and social justice.

There are 12 fellowships are available for each river basin, to be undertaken over 16 months on a part-time basis starting in June 2015. The call is open to anyone, but preference given to nationals from the countries that share the respective river basins. The project is committed to ensuring that female researchers are represented. Up to US$15,000 is available per fellow for research costs and honorarium. For the Nu-Thanlwin-Salween basin, please visit here for full details and for Mekong, please visit here for further details. For the Mekong basin, please visit here.

Application deadline: 22nd May 2015, 17:00 (ICT)

EMPLOYMENT: Researcher on Women and Land (Human Rights Watch)

2015-05-14T15:21:00.001-04:00

The Women’s Rights Division of Human Rights Watch (“HRW”) is seeking highly-qualified applicants for the position of Researcher on Women and Land. This position will be responsible for developing and implementing a research and advocacy agenda focusing on the impacts of large-scale international land acquisitions on women’s human rights in Africa and Asia. This position reports to the Deputy Director of the Women’s Rights Division. The position will ideally be based in Africa or Asia.

Please see here for more details.

PUBLICATIONS: Third World Quarterly special issue: “Food Sovereignty: convergence and contradictions,condition and challenges”

2015-05-14T15:17:00.001-04:00

Edited by Eric Holt-Gimenez, Alberto Alonso-Fradejas, Todd Holmes, and Martha Jane Robbins, this special issue on food sovereignty is framed in relation to a broader political and intellectual initiative that aims to deepen academic discussions on food sovereignty. Building upon previous and parallel initiatives in ‘engaged academic research,’ and along the tradition of ‘a critical dialogue’ among activists and academics, it identifies four key themes that focus on the difficult contradictions, dilemmas and challenges confronting future research in the area: (i) dynamics within and between social groups and classes in rural and urban, Global North—South contexts, (ii) flex crops and commodities, market insertion and long-distance trade, (iii) territorial restructuring, land and food sovereignty, and (iv) localization problematique. Click here for free access.

This Week’s Posts

2015-04-30T13:33:00.001-04:00

EVENT: Why Land Still Matters: A Panel Discussion - May 7 To mark the three year anniversary of the endorsement of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure (VGGT), USAID’s Land Tenure and Resource Management Office will host an online panel discussion that will feature discussants from key stakeholder organizations engaged in implementing the VGGT. The panel is open to the public. Click here for more details and to register.

EVENT: Why Land Still Matters: A Panel Discussion - May 7

2015-04-29T12:51:00.001-04:00

On May 7 at 9:00 am EDT to mark the three year anniversary of the endorsement of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure (VGGT), USAID’s Land Tenure and Resource Management Office will host an online panel discussion that will feature discussants from key stakeholder organizations engaged in implementing the VGGT.

Panelists will share progress, lessons learned, and challenges from three years of Voluntary Guidelines implementation and discuss the next steps and future direction of this important issue. The panel is open to the public. Click here for more details and to register.

This Week’s Posts

2015-04-24T08:27:00.001-04:00

RESOURCES: New version of AGROVOC, integrating land governance and tenure

In partnership with the Land Portal Foundation, the Agricultural Information Management Standards (AIMS) project, facilitated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), has released a new version of AGROVOC, the world’s most comprehensive multilingual agricultural vocabulary. This version includes 100 new concepts related to land tenure and governance. Read more about this exciting new development here.

EMPLOYMENT: Associate Dean and Director of International Programs in Agriculture, Purdue university

The Purdue University College of Agriculture is seeking to hire a visionary, entrepreneurial individual as Associate Dean and Director of International Programs in Agriculture to provide creative leadership for its globally recognized international programs in learning, discovery, and engagement. Please see full details here.

PUBLICATIONS: Greening Agrarian Studies, Special Issue

The Journal of Peasant Studies has released a special issue that brings together 40 articles on various environmental themes that speak to critical agrarian studies (e.g., climate change, biodiversity, biotechnology, conservation, agroecology, and so on). All 40 articles are open access from 17 April 2015 (International Day of Peasant Struggle) to 31 December 2015 and available here.

AWARDS: Jagdeesh Rao Puppala of the Foundation for Ecological Security receives the 2015 Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship

We want to congratulate CAPRi collaborator Jagdeesh Rao Puppala and the Foundation for Ecological Security for receiving a 2015 Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship. The Skoll Awards distinguish transformative leaders who are disrupting the status quo, driving large-scale change, and are poised to make an even greater impact on the world. Jagdeesh Rao Puppala and the FES team have long promoted the idea that the well-being of rural communities depends on the balance of social and ecological systems. FES helps villagers secure community rights to publicly-owned land and support regulations to manage it in a more sustainable and productive way. The result of this collaborative work has been higher quality of soil, water, and biodiversity, leading to improved agricultural productivity and economic security for the rural poor. To date, FES has secured community rights to nearly 4 million acres of land in India, providing communities a solid foundation on which to build local democracies, sustainable livelihoods and better futures. Read more about the work of FES here and about the Skoll Foundation Award here.

PUBLICATION: Water-Smart Agriculture in East Africa

This Sourcebook on Water-Smart Agriculture in East Africa offers a collection of case studies from soil conservation to building resilience, including farmers’ own innovative practices, that further develop the Water-Smart Agriculture approach in East Africa aimed at a specific group of users- development managers, educators, local administrators and policy makers. These are the people who can utilize such practical research outputs, thereby enabling impact at scale at both local and national levels. The sourcebook is available here.

RESOURCES: New version of AGROVOC, integrating land governance and tenure

2015-04-21T16:51:00.001-04:00

In partnership with the Land Portal Foundation, the Agricultural Information Management Standards (AIMS) project, facilitated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), has released a new version of AGROVOC, the world’s most comprehensive multilingual agricultural vocabulary.
The Land Portal Foundation and the AGROVOC team collaborated to extend the coverage of AGROVOC in the domain of land governance and tenure. The collaboration started in December 2014, with the idea of using the Multilingual Thesaurus on Land Tenure (published by FAO in 2009) for indexing the content of the Land Portal.

Now, a new release of AGROVOC is published (March 2015) and available to the public. It includes more than 100 new concepts related to land tenure, in up to three languages - English, French and Spanish. These new concepts not only enrich Agrovoc vocabulary by introducing a specific section dedicated to land tenure, but they also improve the usability of the Land Portal, as well as all other land related libraries, repositories and information providers, allowing for a better indexing and data organization for the upcoming Land Library and web pages. The result is an improvement in the use of linked open data, facilitating the linking and exchange of data among web platforms. Read more about this exciting new development here.

EMPLOYMENT: Associate Dean and Director of International Programs in Agriculture, Purdue university

2015-04-21T16:47:00.001-04:00

The Director of International Programs in Agriculture reports to the Dean of Agriculture. The successful candidate will have a broad vision of the international dimensions of a leading 21^st century college of agriculture. He/she will be able to communicate that vision to faculty, students, citizens of Indiana, and to other stakeholders at national and international settings. The Director will promote faculty collaboration across disciplines, facilitate new initiatives, and provide creative leadership to implement international programs that encompass activities throughout the entire food, agriculture and natural resources systems. He/she will possess the ability to work with faculty, national and international agencies, and private foundations to obtain funding necessary to implement and manage innovative programs. Duties will also include budget and personnel management. Please see full details here.

PUBLICATIONS: Greening Agrarian Studies, Special Issue

2015-04-20T09:25:00.001-04:00

The editorial team of Journal of Peasant Studies has released a special issue – JPS 40: Greening Agrarian Studies. This collection brings together 40 articles on various environmental themes that speak to critical agrarian studies (e.g., climate change, biodiversity, biotechnology, conservation, agroecology, and so on). Authors include some of the leading scholars and public intellectuals in the field: Jesse Ribot, Melissa Leach, Nancy Peluso, Bill Adams, Miguel Altieri, Ian Scoones, James Fairhead, Susanna Hecht, Peter Rosset, Bina Agarwal, K. Sivaramakrishnan, Philip McMichael, Raj Patel, JB Foster, and Frances Moore Lappe.

All 40 articles are open access from 17 April 2015 (International Day of Peasant Struggle) to 31 December 2015 and available here.

AWARDS: Jagdeesh Rao Puppala of the Foundation for Ecological Security receives the 2015 Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship

2015-04-20T09:19:00.001-04:00

We want to congratulate CAPRi collaborator Jagdeesh Rao Puppala and the Foundation for Ecological Security for receiving a 2015 Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship.

The Skoll Awards distinguish transformative leaders who are disrupting the status quo, driving large-scale change, and are poised to make an even greater impact on the world. The Skoll Award recognizes social entrepreneurs whose innovations have already had significant, proven impact on some of the world’s most pressing problems, and invests directly in the promise of even greater impact at scale. By investing in organizations when an innovation is ripe for accelerated and scaled adoption, the Skoll Awards help unleash the full global potential and reach of social entrepreneurs. Each Awardee receives a $1.25 million, three-year core support investment to scale their work and increase their impact. They also gain leverage through their long-term participation in a global community of visionary leaders and innovators dedicated to solving the world’s most pressing problems.

Jagdeesh Rao Puppala has long promoted the idea that the well-being of rural communities depends on the balance of social and ecological systems. The Foundation for Ecological Security (FES) helps villagers secure community rights to publicly-owned land and support regulations to manage it in a more sustainable and productive way. The result of this collaborative work has been higher quality of soil, water, and biodiversity, leading to improved agricultural productivity and economic security for the rural poor. To date, FES has secured community rights to nearly 4 million acres of land in India, providing communities a solid foundation on which to build local democracies, sustainable livelihoods and better futures.

We at CAPRi look forward to seeing FES’s work and leadership continue to grow in this important area. Congratulations!

Read more about the work of FES here and about the Skoll Foundation Award here.