EcoAgriculture Partners, Washington D.C., DC (2026)

03/31/2026

🌍 Restoration in the Model Forests – A new video series by the Mediterranean Model Forest Network

Released on the International Day of Forests, this five-episode series takes viewers across the Mediterranean to discover how the Model Forest approach strengthens governance, sustainability, and forest and landscape restoration.

🎥 Filmed in five countries and seven Model Forests, the series features 40+ interviews and the voices of communities working every day to restore ecosystems while improving local well-being.

From the Atlas Mountains in Morocco to the forests of Istria, passing through Provence, Tuscany, Abruzzo, and Western Macedonia, diverse landscapes and cultures come together around a shared goal: to restore communities and their territories through collaboration, knowledge, and sustainable management.
Because restoration works best when it starts with people and local communities.

📺 Watch the series and discover the stories behind restoration in the Mediterranean:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLvEf7muupSaPr18HNppQ8N87mfEs84f9

Mediterranean Model Forest Network
International Model Forest Network

03/27/2026

Research for Landscape Leadership

In March 2026, a key moment in the Forest Leaders for Integrated Landscape Management program came full circle in Bolivia. At the closing workshop, five Research Fellows came together to share findings from two years of applied research rooted in Model Forest territories and to reflect on the journey that shaped it. Their work tackles some of the most urgent questions facing landscapes today: how partnerships endure, how youth leadership can be strengthened, how Indigenous and rural women’s leadership can be better recognized, and how farming communities are adapting in the face of climate change.

We are proud to highlight their research projects, which have deepened learning across the program and contributed to wider conversations on landscape leadership in Latin America. From participatory governance to youth agency, women’s leadership, and socio-ecological resilience, their research reminds us that knowledge is strongest when it is connected to people, place, and action.

They brought rigor, commitment, and insight to this process, while also contributing to a growing body of work in a critical area of landscape leadership, and for that, we express our sincere gratitude: Juan Pablo R. Garavito, María Steffanny, Cristina Fueres, Marlon Alexander Patino Hernandez and Luciana Vicente.

Our thanks also go to Dr Bemmy G. for her guidance, facilitation, and support throughout this process.We’re equally grateful to the partners who helped make this journey possible: Environment and Natural Resources in Canada, Red Latinoamericana de Bosques Modelot and International Model Forest Network.

As this chapter closes, the fellows’ work continues to shape what comes next. Emerging from territorial realities and strengthened through learning and exchange, it adds to a growing body of knowledge that can support more inclusive, connected, and resilient landscape leadership across the region.

In the coming weeks, we will be sharing their full papers, opening up these reflections and findings to a wider audience.

03/21/2026

Healthy Forests, Resilient Economies

On International Day of Forests 2026, we reaffirm the role that healthy forests play in supporting resilient economies, and the shared stewardship needed to sustain the landscapes on which livelihoods, food systems, and biodiversity depend.
Forests support food systems, protect water, sustain biodiversity, strengthen livelihoods, and underpin local economies. Human well-being depends on their health.

In 2012, the United Nations General Assembly designated March 21 as International Day of Forests, which is promoted by the Food and Agriculture Organization. This year’s theme, Forests and Economies, underscores a vital truth. Healthy forests and healthy communities are deeply connected. When forests decline, the effects spread across landscapes, livelihoods, and local economies. When forests are well stewarded, they create the conditions for resilience, opportunity, and long-term prosperity.

At EcoAgriculture Partners, this perspective has shaped our work with the International Model Forest Network (IMFN). Model Forests offer a practical example of what collaborative stewardship can achieve across forest-based landscapes. They create space for multiple stakeholders to pursue a shared vision where conservation, production, and local livelihoods strengthen one another.

The future of forests will not rest on protection alone. It will depend on shared stewardship and on the leadership of the people whose lives and futures are tied most closely to these landscapes.To explore this perspective further, read more on our website:https://ecoagriculture.org/resources/scientific-publications/resource-scientific-publication-10

03/13/2026

Does your community have a story worth telling?

Join Terraso on March 25 at 10am EDT / 6pm EAT for a free webinar on Terraso Story Maps — an open source tool built for place-based storytelling. https://terraso.org/terraso-story-maps/webinar/

Perfect for:
Environmental storytelling
Nonprofit impact reporting
Environmental & social advocacy

No cost. No catch. Just powerful tools to help your community's story reach the people who need to hear it.

RSVP here: https://terraso.org/terraso-story-maps/webinar/

Can't make it live? Sign up anyway to receive a recording!

03/12/2026

What does it take to strengthen landscape leadership across an entire region?

In March 2024, 49 leaders from 15 Model Forests across 10 countries in Latin America began a 24-month learning journey through the Forest Leaders for Integrated Landscape Management program. The program was funded by Natural Resources Canada which hosts the International Model Forest Network secretariat and implemented by EcoAgriculture Partners.

The program focused on a simple but challenging goal: helping landscape leaders move from isolated projects to lasting collaboration across whole territories.
Through peer exchange, practical tools, and real-world application in their own landscapes, participants worked together to strengthen governance, build partnerships, and advance integrated landscape management.

Model Forests play a unique role in this work. They bring together governments, communities, civil society, and the private sector to manage landscapes where conservation, production, and local livelihoods must coexist.

Across the region, these leaders are showing that strong collaboration and inclusive leadership are key to making landscape approaches work in practice.
Read the full story: https://ecoagriculture.org/blogs/from-dialogue-to-action-strengthening-landscape-leadership-in-latin-america

03/10/2026

Integrated Landscape Management: The Work Behind the Work

Across South and Southeast Asia, millions of livelihoods depend on landscapes that are under increasing strain. Soil fertility is declining. Watersheds are weakening. Biodiversity is thinning out. When landscapes degrade, the impacts ripple through food systems, rural economies, and communities.

To help address this challenge, EcoAgriculture Partners and Heifer International Asia launched a seven-month learning journey on Integrated Landscape Management (ILM) with teams from Nepal, India, Bangladesh, and Cambodia.

Participants have moved from ILM fundamentals to real-world application. After an in-person workshop in Bohol, Philippines, country teams are identifying priority landscapes, mapping stakeholders, and developing plans to strengthen coordination across the landscapes where they work.

The program still has one final session ahead, but the momentum is already spreading. Colleagues from Heifer Africa joined the workshop and are now preparing their own ILM training. The collaboration also builds on earlier work between EcoAgriculture and Heifer in Latin America.

Read the full story: https://ecoagriculture.org/blogs/the-work-behind-the-work-building-resilient-landscapes-in-asia

03/06/2026

📍 Bolivia | Building the Community Behind Landscape Change- Closing Reflections

Participants in the Forest Leaders for Integrated Landscape Management program came together this week in Bolivia to reflect on two years of collaboration across Model Forest landscapes in Latin America.

During the workshop, Research Fellows shared the progress and early findings of their seed projects, presenting applied research developed within their landscapes. Five fellows, Juan Pablo Rodríguez, María Esteffany Bashi, Cristina Fueres, Marlon Patiño, and Luciana Vicente, have been exploring topics prioritized by Model Forest leaders at the start of the program, including participatory governance, youth leadership transitions, climate resilience in family farming, and the leadership of Indigenous and rural women.

Their research has been supported through a community of practice mentorship process facilitated by EcoAgriculture Partners, where fellows regularly met to exchange ideas, refine their approaches, and learn from each other’s experiences. Over the past year, they have also begun sharing their work in regional and international forums, bringing insights from Model Forest landscapes into broader conversations on sustainability, governance, and landscape resilience.

A key moment came on Day 4, when discussions focused on leadership and the future of the network. Youth participants led a session on the meaningful inclusion of young people in landscape approaches, highlighting the need not only for participation but for real opportunities for youth to shape decisions and lead within their landscapes.

The group also explored Integrated Landscape Finance (ILF) and how landscape initiatives can better connect collaboration, governance, and sustainable production with financial mechanisms that support long term impact.

As the workshop closed, attention turned to an important question: what comes next? Participants discussed how this emerging community of practice can continue building on two years of collaboration, even without new funding.

To close the workshop, teams took part in a practical exercise, developing short pitches for Integrated Landscape Management (ILM) tailored to different donor profiles with varying priorities. The activity encouraged participants to think about how landscape collaboration and governance connect to the outcomes many funders are already working to achieve, reinforcing one of the core skills of landscape leadership: making the case for collaboration across sectors, priorities, and interests.

03/05/2026

Bolivia | Building the Community Behind Landscape Change

After two days of dialogue and reflection, the third day of the workshop took participants into the landscape itself.
Hosted by the Chiquitanía Sostenible Model Forest, the group visited two sites that show how integrated landscape management is being practiced on the ground.

The first stop was Alta Vista, a research and demonstration center managed by the Fundación para la Conservación del Bosque Chiquitano (FCBC). Here participants learned how research, conservation, and production intersect in the Chiquitano Dry Forest. Alta Vista serves as a living laboratory where scientists and practitioners study ecosystems while testing regenerative approaches to livestock and agriculture.

These efforts are part of a broader approach known as PPP Paisajes (landscapes) Productivos (productive) Protegidas (protected-conservation) ), which promotes landscapes where productive activities such as farming and livestock coexist with areas dedicated to biodiversity conservation.

The group then visited the indigenous community of Santa Rita, also part of the Chiquitanía Sostenible landscape. Community members welcomed participants and shared their traditional textile practices. Women from the community demonstrated how fabrics are made using natural dyes derived from local plants.
The visit highlighted how cultural traditions, livelihoods, and ecosystems are deeply connected within the landscape.
After days of discussion about landscape governance, leadership, and collaboration, seeing these connections firsthand helped ground the conversations in real places and real practices.

Learn more about the Chiquitanía Sostenible Model Forest and the landscapes hosting this exchange:
https://bosquesmodelo.net/chiquitania-sostenible/

Red Latinoamericana de Bosques Modelo

03/04/2026

📍 Bolivia | Building the Community Behind Landscape Change

Continuing our week-long workshop in Bolivia with Forest Leaders for Integrated Landscape Management, Day 2 focused on research, leadership, and the systems shaping landscape governance across Latin America.

Our Research Fellows shared insights from their applied work in Model Forest landscapes, connecting evidence with practice and grounding Integrated Landscape Management in real territorial challenges.

A central theme was meaningful participation.
Participants reflected on the need to engage youth not just as representatives, but as decision-makers. Young people are often described as the future, yet many still struggle to be taken seriously in leadership and policy spaces. Strengthening landscape governance means creating real pathways for youth leadership and influence, and developing strategies to re-engage those who feel disconnected from these processes.

The role of rural and Indigenous women was also an important focus. Participants noted that their contributions are not always fully visible within network agendas. For landscape approaches to succeed, women’s knowledge, identity, and leadership must be recognized as integral to territorial governance.

Climate change is a shared pressure across all Model Forests. Leaders discussed how to better connect national climate policies with local realities and how the Network can help bridge that gap while strengthening public and political awareness.
We also reflected on the impact of the seed projects, which have expanded local networks, strengthened connections with communities, and enabled concrete actions on the ground.
Day 2 reinforced an important lesson: Lasting landscape change depends on inclusive leadership, strong governance, and linking local action with broader systems.
Red Latinoamericana de Bosques Modelo International Model Forest Network

03/04/2026

📍 Bolivia | Building the Community Behind Landscape Change

This week in Bolivia, EcoAgriculture Partners is facilitating a workshop and providing technical leadership for the Forest Leaders for Integrated Landscape Management program, working alongside the International Model Forest Network as a long-term partner to strengthen landscape governance and collaboration across Latin America.

This workshop is part of a broader journey to build the leadership, systems, and partnerships needed for integrated landscape management to move from concept to sustained practice.

Yesterday, we stepped back to reflect on where we started two years ago and how far the project has come. Revisiting that starting point made the progress tangible and grounded our discussions in real experience across Model Forest landscapes.
We also engaged in an interactive session focused on facilitation and intergenerational exchange. Participants explored how knowledge, leadership, and responsibility can be shared across generations to sustain landscape alliances over time. Strong landscapes depend not only on plans and projects, but on people learning from one another and stepping into leadership together.

Research Fellows presented their work yesterday and again today, sharing applied research from Model Forest landscapes on integrated landscape management, governance, sustainable land use, and the connections between livelihoods and ecological resilience. Their work reflects EcoAgriculture’s long-standing commitment to linking research with practice and equipping landscape leaders with evidence they can use to strengthen decision-making and collaboration on the ground.

The diversity of experience across the network remains its greatest asset. When learning is shared openly and continuously, landscapes move forward together.

Red Latinoamericana de Bosques Modelo

03/03/2026

World Wildlife Day 2026!

Biodiversity in Working Landscapes
Wildlife and people are inherently connected, sharing the landscapes that feed, employ, and sustain our communities. From farmland and grazing lands to forests and watersheds, most of the world’s biodiversity relies on working landscapes where production, conservation, and livelihoods intersect.

On this World Wildlife Day, EcoAgriculture Partners emphasizes an essential truth: coexistence between wildlife and human livelihoods is vital. When landscapes are managed collaboratively, biodiversity and human well-being strengthen each other. Healthy ecosystems underpin resilient food systems, while thriving rural economies help reduce pressure on natural habitats. Inclusive decision-making fosters harmony and promotes long-term stewardship.

Coexistence is not about choosing between conservation and development; it is a strategic approach rooted in partnership, shared leadership, and landscape-level thinking. At EcoAgriculture Partners, we work to build capacity and foster collaboration within landscape approaches worldwide, enabling both people and nature to flourish together. Protecting wildlife means supporting the communities and environmental systems that sustain it.

This World Wildlife Day, we reaffirm our dedication to landscapes where biodiversity and livelihoods thrive side by side.

01/16/2026

A Week of Landscapes, Leadership, and Learning: Bohol Reflections 🌏🌾

As we wrap up our time in Bohol, Philippines, we’re reflecting on a powerful journey of learning, collaboration, and shared commitment.

Over the course of the workshop, 50 Heifer International Asia team members from Nepal, India, Bangladesh, and Cambodia came together for an immersive, hands-on experience focused on Integrated Landscape Management (ILM), a practical approach to advancing regenerative agriculture, climate resilience, and inclusive food systems across Asia.

This experience went far beyond the classroom. It created space to slow down, ask better questions, learn from one another, and connect big-picture ideas to the real landscapes and communities participants work with every day.

What the week looked like:

🌱 Grounding in the landscape
We began by exploring core ILM concepts and quickly moved into practice. Country teams defined their priority landscapes and mapped physical, ecological, and social boundaries—turning abstract ideas into something tangible and place-based.

🧩 Centering people and governance
The focus then shifted to the human systems that shape landscapes. Teams examined stakeholder relationships, existing partnerships, and governance structures, reinforcing the importance of inclusive, coordinated decision-making.

🌊 Learning from the field
At one point, the classroom moved outdoors. A field visit brought ILM to life, showing how watershed-level management can strengthen ecosystems, support smallholder farmers, and build food system resilience.

🛠️ From insight to action
The workshop concluded with collaborative design and planning. Participants translated their maps and analyses into practical next steps—outlining actions, roles, and priorities—and helped lay the foundation for a regional community of practice that will keep learning and collaboration going.

By combining EcoAgriculture Partners’ ILM frameworks with the deep local knowledge of Heifer’s Asia teams, the workshop moved beyond theory into real-world application. Participants are heading home with shared language, stronger regional connections, and clear starting points for advancing regenerative landscapes in their own contexts.

The conversations don’t end here. Follow along as these ideas turn into action across Asia.

EcoAgriculture Partners

03/31/2026

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01/16/2026

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