Landcare is an approach based on the notion of caring for your land as a community. It is centered on the values of community empowerment and collective action to develop and apply innovative solutions to natural resource management (NRM) challenges, networking farmers with the broader community and promoting sustainable land management practices.
Present in over 30 countries globally in various capacities, the modality of Landcare programs vary across the diversity of countries and landscapes the approach is applied. In countries like Australia, Germany, Iceland and South Africa the model is present as a whole of government program. Conversely, a regional presence is present in the Philippines, Uganda and USA. Examples of localized Landcare programs also exist in countries such as the DRC, Fiji, Japan, Nigeria, Tonga and Zimbabwe.
The Landcare approach is founded on 4 basic cornerstones: community leadership, appropriate technologies and practices, partnership development, and institution building. These foundations are based on farmers’ interest in gaining and sharing knowledge about technologies or practices that can improve income generation while conserving and protecting natural resources. This approach has often been identified as “bottom up” rather than the conventional "top down" program design.
Clinton Muller, African Landcare Network & Landcare International Coordinator - World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF)
Community Member, Development Practitioners, Landscape Leader, Local Authority
