Working with indigenous populations to restore eroded soils in saline ecosystems in highland regions
In the central highlands of Bolivia, soils primarily used by smallholder livestock farmers are increasingly affected by salinization and erosion. Climate change is accelerating these processes. The lack of adapted pasture management practices has led to a significant decline in vegetation cover. As a result, forage for livestock has become scarce, posing serious challenges for local smallholder farmers and the livelihoods of their families.
This IKI Small Grants project promotes climate-resilient and agroecological practices through a holistic management approach. On 40 hectares of degraded pastureland affected by salinisation, the project works to restore plant cover and increase biodiversity. Native salt-tolerant halophytes are used to provide sustainable forage for the livestock. The project focuses on capacity building for 128 smallholder farmers from local Indigenous communities, with a special support for women empowerment.
CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT
In addition to providing of funding, IKI Small Grants supports ADEMA in their organisational capacity through:
- Fundraising training
- Training in proposal writing, focusing on climate and biodiversity projects
- Networking training
- Training in managing the updated accounting system, new tax regulations, and other regulations related to updating the financial and administrative area
ABOUT THE ORGANISATION
ADEMA works in regenerative agriculture and livestock farming, holistic management of natural resources and the environment, in rural communities of the Bolivian highlands, using technological resources, ancestral knowledge, and gender equity, strengthening resilience and sustainable development, and producing agroecological foods with climate change adaptation practices.