On Wednesday September 25th, landscape leaders from Africa, Asia and North and South America came together for the first-ever Online Landscapes for People, Food and Nature (LPFN) Event, “Kickstarting Cross-Landscape Learning”. Hosted by World Vision, thanks to Doug Brown, and facilitated by Constance Neely of World Agroforestry Center, this event offered an opportunity for Learning Landscapes to network, share needs, and learn from each other’s experiences, with co-organizers and strategic partners present.
Participants started off by introducing themselves and their relation to LPFN. Next, two leaders gave presentations on the landscapes with which they were involved. Nelson Muiru of Kijabe Environmental Volunteers (KENVO) presented on the Lari-Kijabe Landscape in Kenya. Juan Pablo Solis of Hivos presented on Andean Landscapes in Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador. This was followed by a candid conversation about the purpose of the group, the opportunity to share struggles in the integrated landscape approach with allies, and upcoming plans to design an online knowledge sharing portal. Participants decided to meet quarterly, with written communication in between meetings.
LPFN Online Events fit into a larger plan by the Landscape Strengthening Working Group of the LPFN Initiative to provide opportunities for landscape leaders to participate in a variety of types of cross-landscape collaborative learning. Other planned activities include collaborative development of knowledge products, leadership courses, regional knowledge events, and documentation of experiences of integrated landscape initiatives.
