The CEO of Global Environment Facility (GEF), Monique Barbut outlined recently that success of any environmental project depends intimately on the involvement of rural smallholders. She suggested that for environmental projects to secure funding by GEF, applicants must be able to show farmer involvement throughtout different stages of the proposed projects. Monique was presenting rural smallholder policy initiatives of the GEF at the Congress of the International Society of Ethnobiology.

Working with local communities, including indigenous peoples, is not only the most effective approach to environmental projects, it is also the most cost-effective, Barbut said.

Since its inception, the World Agroforestry Centre has always focused on working intimately with smallholder farmers and increasingly other organizations like GEF, which is said to be the largest public funder of  global environmental projects, are also encouraging smallholder farmers to  participate in project management.

“I am convinced that the policy that we have implemented to strengthen the participation of indigenous peoples has permanently enriched the GEF and enhanced its standing," added Monique.

Barbut outlined the successes of a 12-year GEF-financed program in Brazil in which around 50% of the 25 million hectares of protected land are being managed by indigenous people.

More on what the Centre is doing to include farmers in all projects.

Read more on  Monique's presentaion to the International Society of Ethnobiology.