LandRISE Project: Rainforest Alliance's Agroforestry Initiative
TL;DR: The LandRISE Project demonstrates a landscape-scale approach to regenerative agriculture, restoring degraded lands and empowering vulnerable communities with climate-resilient farming practices.
- Integrates agroforestry and diverse intercropping for soil fertility.
- Trains communities in mulching, biofertilizers, and contour farming.
- Aims for 15-25% soil organic carbon gains and improved crop yields.
- Reduces external input reliance by 40% through regenerative methods.
- Employs farmer field schools and participatory mapping for local engagement.
- Monitors impact using affordable soil tests and resilience indices.
- Includes group certifications and gender-inclusive training for equitable outcomes.
Why it matters: This project offers a comprehensive model for reversing land degradation and enhancing food security in vulnerable regions, directly addressing climate change adaptation and mitigation through verifiable ecological and social improvements.
Do this next: Explore integrating nitrogen-fixing trees and perennials into your existing agricultural systems to begin building soil health.
Recommended for: Development practitioners, community organizers, and permaculture designers interested in scalable, community-led land restoration and climate resilience initiatives.
The Rainforest Alliance's LandRISE Project is a one-year landscape-scale initiative operating in five ecologically significant areas to support vulnerable communities with regenerative agriculture for soil health restoration and climate resilience. It targets degraded lands in biodiversity hotspots, implementing practices like agroforestry integration (planting nitrogen-fixing trees and perennials), compost application from farm wastes, and diverse intercropping to rebuild soil fertility. Community training covers mulching for moisture retention, biofertilizers from local microbes, and contour farming on slopes to prevent erosion. Ties into the 2025 Regenerative Agriculture Standard, which sets verifiable criteria for soil carbon increase, biodiversity metrics, and water quality. Pilot sites document strategies such as farmer field schools for hands-on learning, participatory mapping of restoration zones, and monitoring with affordable soil test kits for organic matter, pH, and biology. Outcomes include 15-25% soil organic carbon gains, improved yields in staple crops like maize and beans, and enhanced resilience via diversified incomes from tree products. Self-sufficiency rises through reduced external inputs (40% drop in chemicals) and community seed banks. Measurable impacts feature resilience indices showing faster recovery post-droughts, with data shared via dashboards for scaling. Practical details encompass group certifications for market access, gender-inclusive training (50% women participants), and integration with carbon credit schemes. The project provides field-tested blueprints for landscape-level regeneration, emphasizing adaptive management and long-term monitoring to achieve scalable, equitable outcomes in fragile ecosystems.