Go-to expert and advocacy actor

Chairperson Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Water, Mahmoud Mgimwa engages Dr. Consolata Ishebabi Director Ministry of Trade and Industry in a conversation and different stakeholders are seen to be listening in on the policy dialogue at the Vi Agroforestry annual Symposium in Tanzania.
Chairperson Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Water, Mahmoud Mgimwa engages Dr. Consolata Ishebabi Director Ministry of Trade and Industry in a conversation and different stakeholders are seen to be listening in on the policy dialogue at the Vi Agroforestry annual Symposium in Tanzania.
We use our position as an established go-to expert and actor in civil society to advice on agroforestry and climate change and to advocate for policy changes to address pressing problems in our area of work and benefit our target groups.

Go-to expert in agroforestry

Vi Agroforestry, once just a tree planting initiative, is today an agroforestry expert organisation. We publish manuals in a handful languages, and since 2015 we coordinate a Swedish international network on agroforestry. In 2024, we launched an expert desk where we provide support, knowledge and experience regarding holistic, inclusive, and sustainable agricultural carbon projects financed by Sida. Upcoming next is that we will lead an East African expert group on dryland agroforestry during 2025 financed by SIANI.

Advocacy

We raise awareness on the many challenges we work to change on the ground. We suggest improvements and solutions and remind duty-bearers of their responsibilities. Our aim is to drive meaningful policy change so that smallholder farmers get their human rights fulfilled. For us, advocacy starts at a local level, engaging farmer groups to phrase their needs and ideas. We then use our position as an established go-to expert and actor in civil society to advocate for policy changes. For example, we have contributed to putting national policies and strategies for agroforestry in place in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. And each year we hold well-visited agroforestry learning weeks in Kenya, and agroforestry symposiums in Tanzania.

Vi Agroforestry’s climate advisor Monica Nderitu spoke at the UN meeting Stockholm +50 in 2022 to point out that more money is needed for climate financing aimed at smallholder farmers. Photo: Malin von Strauss.

Examples of what we do

Expert desk

Our experts can advise on carbon project development, standards and verification, carbon markets, biodiversity and livelihoods.

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Agroforestry Network

is a platform for international agroforestry practice, initiated to promote the use of agroforestry in developing countries.

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COP29 participation

Vi Agroforestry attends the climate summit COP29 to highlight how agroforestry helps Kenya achieve their climate goals.

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International Forests Day 2024

The Vi Agroforestry team engaged in dynamic discussions during Tanzania’s International Forests Day celebration.

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