The Small Grants Programme Newsletter

GEF Small Grants Programme Newsletter July 2024

Our Stories

Our land, our future: restoring land, halting desertification and building drought resilience in Burkina Faso

“There were places where we couldn’t harvest anything because the land was too dry, but now it is easy to plow. Where we used to harvest 200 kg of millet per hectare, we can now harvest 400 to 500 kg per hectare,” recalls Awa Kouraogo, a 37-year-old farmer and mother of six children who lives in the Passoré Province, in north Burkina Faso. Burkina Faso's economy relies on subsistence agriculture – mainly cereals like sorghum, millet, corn and rice – but is marked by low crop productivity. In the Sahelian zone in the north part of the country, the drylands suffer from wind and water erosion that create barren clearings. In villages like Kirsi, where Awa lives, meager harvests are no longer enough to feed the 19,000 people living there.

Heart of fire: at the heart of a volcano, a community is conserving their natural and cultural heritage

Nearly 600 km west of the African continent lies the Republic of Cabo Verde, a Small Island Developing State (SIDS) made up of ten volcanic islands. In the southern part of the archipelago, Fogo is the youngest and most volcanically active island in the country, with a population of about 48,700 residents. Located inside the Pico do Fogo volcano crater, the community of Chã das Caldeiras was completely gone after a devastating eruption in 2014. The lava buried homes, schools, health centres and community hubs, besides inundating roads and destroying the farmlands that villagers relied upon for their subsistence and livelihoods.

“It's like the ocean itself is lending a helping hand.” Artificial reefs revive marine biodiversity in Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is one of the nine coastal states of India, home to nearly 1.3 million fishers who rely on marine biodiversity for their livelihoods. The Gulf of Mannar region, which lies between Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka, boasts diverse and productive habitats, including coral reefs, seagrasses, mangroves, estuaries, rocky shores, and sandy beaches. Covering over 10,000 square kilometres, this region is considered one of the world’s most productive marine habitats, home to 3,600 species of plants and animals. This also makes it an important fishing area. However, recent decades have seen a sharp decline in the fisheries output.

In the line of fire: volunteers in action to save our forests

Over the last two decades, fires have caused more than a quarter of all tree cover loss. In 2023 alone, 400 million hectares were consumed by flames—an area twice the size of Mexico. When a forest burns, more than just the trees are destroyed. Forest fires cause biodiversity loss by obliterating natural habitats; they release large quantities of carbon dioxide, contributing to climate change; and they degrade the soil and contaminate water resources. Today, more than half of forest fire-related costs go toward rapid response. But less than 1 percent is spent on planning for and preventing this environmental threat. If there is hope for the world's forested areas, it can be found in Costa Rica's Volunteer Forest Fire Brigade.

From scourge to sustainability: reimagining our relationship with plastic for human and planetary health

From discarded bags at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, to microscopic particles in human placentas, to debris in space, plastics are ubiquitous. This extremely useful material has permeated every facet of our lives, but at the same time, our current pattern of plastic production and consumption has driven a dramatic increase in plastic waste around the world. Today, plastic pollution poses a serious threat not only to the environment, but also to human health. It damages critical habitats, injures and kills wildlife, fuels the climate crisis and contaminates the water we drink, the food we eat and the air we breathe.

Future-proof farms: in Guatemala, indigenous youth are leading action on climate-resilient agriculture

San Juan Comalapa is one of the 16 municipalities of the Department of Chimaltenango, Guatemala. The majority of the population are indigenous Mayan-Kaqchikel peoples who keep alive the region’s ancestral practices, values, and knowledge. The livelihoods of families in these communities are primarily based on agricultural production, and their main income comes from their harvests. In these territories, youth frequently migrate to other countries due to the lack of employment and business opportunities. Young indigenous women are the most affected, having fewer possibilities to get well-remunerated jobs.

The sacred forest: in Ghana, a community’s journey towards conservation and sustainable livelihoods

In Ghana’s Upper West Region, the Zukpuri Community Resource Management Area stands as a beacon of hope for environmental conservation, sustainable development, and community empowerment. This sprawling 4,000-hectare protected area is part of the Black Volta River Basin, a lush landscape of forests, savannahs, and groves rich in biodiversity and cultural heritage that tells a story of community resilience towards a sustainable future.

Climate education through performance arts

Nalucha Mubita recently made the decision to take charge of her future. After struggling to find work post-graduating high school, she developed an alcohol addiction which led her to spend days at a time at local bars. This was until she met Samuel, a member of a group of young people in Sioma who dedicate their time and talents to educating people throughout Sioma about climate change adaptation and alternative livelihoods. “He told me about this group – in the group, they are rearing chickens, and welding. I was interested in welding... instead of me going to the bar, I can show other ladies that they can also do this kind of work”.

Antigua & Barbuda show the power of SIDS local action to achieve SDGs

World leaders pledged to accelerate sustainable development on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) at the 4th United Nations SIDS Conference held from 27th to 30th May in Antigua and Barbuda, where they unanimously adopted the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS. The four-day event at the American University of Antigua brought together around 3,000 participants, including 22 Heads of State and Government, to advocate for SIDS to become a priority in the global development agenda.

GEF CEO meets smallholder farmers supported by SGP in Kazakhstan

The CEO and Chairperson of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, visited Kazakhstan for the first time in February 2024 to see firsthand the impact of local initiatives supported by the GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP), which is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). During his visit, Rodriguez had the opportunity to meet with national partners, civil society representatives, and local smallholder farmers involved in SGP projects.

Public-private partnership event for COMDEKS Phase 4

Launched in 2011 as the flagship programme of the Satoyama Initiative, the Community Development and Knowledge Management for the Satoyama Initiative Programme (COMDEKS) is a global effort to promote sustainable use of natural resources in the landscapes worked in and relied upon by rural communities. As it enters its fourth phase in supporting local communities to both develop and live in harmony with nature, the programme is sharing best practices illustrating the programme's success and its outlook on the future.

Celebrating local efforts in biodiversity conservation

UNDP Nepal celebrated 30 years of the GEF Small Grant Programme, recognizing the commendable efforts jointly made by the Government of Nepal, local communities, indigenous people, and partners in biodiversity conservation to tackle environmental issues. With the theme ‘Thinking Globally and Acting Locally’, SGP has been dedicated to conserving and restoring the natural world while enhancing the livelihoods of people. Since 1998, it has supported 286 projects in Nepal.