Research and Learning

A collaboration of Sara J. Scherr and Christian Isely at Ecoagriculture Partners.

The Equator Initiative is currently participating in a collaborative research project with Ecoagriculture Partners. As a partnership itself, Ecoagriculture Partners seeks to promote ecoagriculture practices through the increased collaboration and communication between environmental, agricultural, and development organizations and institutions. Ecoagriculture refers to the sustainable use of agriculture and associated natural resource management systems that embrace and simultaneously enhance productivity, rural livelihoods, ecosystem services, and biodiversity.

The goal of the Equator Initiative- Ecoagriculture Partners collaborative research project is to promote a greater understanding of ecoagriculture and how it is currently being applied throughout the equatorial regions of the globe. The 2002 Equator Prize award nominations will serve as the database for this research initiative. Project descriptions are being used to gain a clearer picture of the types of ecoagriculture projects which have been and are being implemented. They also serve as a tool to test and refine the ecoagriculture template being produced at Ecoagriculture Partners. This template will prove to be a useful tool in the future collection of data on community based ecoagricultural work. As such, this initiative will be tremendously helpful to further research conducted by the Equator Initiative and Ecoagriculture Partners.

The end product of this collaborative effort will consist of a report exploring not only the extent and types of ecoagriculture projects currently underway, but also an analysis of how ecoagriculture practices are being applied, the challenges that are being confronted, the benefits that are being reaped and suggestions regarding the course of future research.

18 December 2003 Equator Initiative / Community Based Initiative Seminar on Ecoagricultural Lessons from the Equator Prize Experience, UN Headquarters, New York

Christian Isely, of the Equator Initiative and Ecoagriculture Partners, delivers a preliminary address to staff of UNDP in advance of the 18 December 2003 Seminar.