Initiatives
Nature for Justice works with partners on initiatives that reflect its mission
to help indigenous, at-risk populations adapt to climate change.
Assisting African American Farmers Adapt to Climate Change
Black, Indigenous, and people of color farmers have been subjected to centuries of prejudice and systemic racism, resulting in economic disadvantages which are being exacerbated by the growing climate crisis.
With support from The William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust, the Walmart Foundation, and private donors, Nature for Justice has embarked on this multi-year program to help these farmers adopt climate-smart agriculture.
We are in Phase 2 of the program, establishing the Inclusive Climate Resource Network. This network consists of regional partners to promote awareness and access to climate-smart agriculture practices, regional climate risk analysis, financial assistance, and capacity development. The initial pilot Hub is in central North Carolina and more Hubs are expected to follow after the establishment of the pilot.
Ecuador: Sustainable Management of the Andean-Amazonian Cloud Forest
Nature for Justice is supporting Fundación Los Aliados (Aliados) in Ecuador to work with marginalized communities being affected by the climate crisis in a critically important region of the Andean-Amazon slope in Ecuador, where up to 20% of eastern tropical cloud forests have been lost in the past two decades.
Nature for Justice is supporting and training community-based agriculture extension personnel to promote improved farmer income via crop diversification and also to implement a monitoring and evaluation system that includes reduced threats to protected areas and restoration of degraded forests.
Ghana: Nature-based Solutions in Global Biodiversity Hotspot
Nature for Justice is supporting Nature Conservation Research Center (NCRC) in Ghana to develop feasibility studies on Nature-based Solutions (NbS) projects in the Guinea High Forest Biodiversity Hotspot in eastern Ghana.
This initiative will contribute to Ghana’s national climate change goals and support offset goals of partner companies.
Nature for Justice’s support includes financial resources and technical expertise on key aspects of developing NbS projects. Nature for Justice is placing emphasis on building in-country expertise through this project.
South Africa: The Gouritz Cluster Biosphere Reserve
In 2021 Nature For Justice (N4J) partnered with the GOURITZ team in Southern Africa on a program to identify feasible, large-scale opportunities for carbon credit initiatives in the Gouritz Cluster Biosphere Reserve (GCBR) and its surrounding areas.
Restoration using the Spekboom plant, the program has entered Phase 3, a joint evaluation with farmers in the Eastern Cape region. There is a particular emphasis on determining the potential for the GCBR and neighboring biosphere reserves for offering carbon credits as a way to ensure long-term (30-50 years) land restoration and to promote resilience in the communities facing climate change.
