This article is originally by Terra Match.
TerraFund for AFR100 is building off its success working with 100 restoration champions across 27 countries and diving deep into Kenya’s Greater Rift Valley; the Lake Kivu & Rusizi River Basin of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda; and the Ghana Cocoa Belt.
Expressions of interest for funding are open on the TerraMatch platform from April 5, 2023 to May 5, 2023. More information about the program and the requirements for eligibility can be found here. Learn more about this opportunity at TerraMatch Help Center. There, you can find all of the details that you need to submit an expression of interest between April 5 and May 5.
Local Action For Land Restoration in Africa
African leaders recognize that the degradation of 65% of the continent’s agricultural land threatens economic and environmental ruin for millions of farmers. At the same time, the effects of climate change – lower crop yields, erratic rainfall, prolonged droughts – are making life harder for millions of people. That’s why African countries have pledged to begin restoring 100 million hectares of degraded land by 2030 through AFR100. Thousands of local innovators are now pioneering project and business models that show that restoration can create a prosperous, nature-positive future for Africa. Local leadership is key because communities manage nearly 70% of African land, and they know how to build ecologically and socially sustainable projects.
The First Cohort: Africa’s Top 100 Restoration Projects
These leaders need support. That is why a group of ambitious donors capitalized TerraFund for AFR100 to finance the top 100 African non-profit community organizations and for-profit businesses that are restoring trees to suitable African landscapes. After an extensive selection process, they provided funding of $50,000 to $500,000 in the form of grants and loans to each of these innovators.
These restoration champions employ a wide variety of tree-based restoration techniques, ranging from agroforestry (growing trees on farms to improve food security) through assisted natural regeneration (helping trees grow back to revitalize biodiversity). You can meet them below.
Applications are now live for TerraFund for AFR100 Landscapes. This program will fund locally-led land restoration projects based in three African landscapes: the Ghana Cocoa Belt, the Lake Kivu & Rusizi River Basin of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and the Great Rift Valley of Kenya.
Register your account on TerraMatch today to submit your Expression of Interest (EOI). Applications must be submitted by May 5 to be considered for funding. Successful applicants will be invited to submit a full Request for Proposal (RFP) application by May 15.
The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030, led by the United Nations Environment Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and its partners, covers terrestrial as well as coastal and marine ecosystems. As a global call to action, it will draw together political support, scientific research and financial muscle to massively scale up restoration. Find out how you can contribute to the UN Decade. Follow #GenerationRestoration.