Main Header

Large-scale landscape climate resilience initiative

Middle East and Eastern Europe

Across the Middle East and Eastern Europe region, World Vision works to restore damaged environments through farmer managed natural regeneration and proven indigenous land and water management techniques. We equip communities with the skills to re-green their natural surroundings and build resilience to climate change and natural disasters.

Community resilience by landscape-based regeneration

Nurturing natural solutions

Landscape-based regeneration improves the ways communities manage water to ensure a clean water supply, drought resilience and flood prevention.

For the past two decades, World Vision has trained one million farmers and regenerated nearly one million hectares of land through direct programming. We support communities to be prepared for natural disasters and climate change. World Vision’s landscape-based projects keep children fed, supports green jobs and creates climate resilient livelihoods.

Driven by locally led participative consultations, World Vision's approach has been proven to regenerate land and lives, restoring hope to communities. We embed innovations within the circular economy, creating opportunities that foster virtuous circles, enhance resource efficiency, support sustainable livelihoods, and promote ecological resilience.

With support from technical specialists from around the world, World Vision is committed to creating a sustainable world where children can thrive in the Middle East and Eastern European region. 

Where we work

Technical and ecological strategies

World Vision ensures landscape regeneration through technical and ecological strategies, including site selection and assessment, advanced water management, physical infrastructure development, and green infrastructure promotion, focusing on ecological stability and improved water and soil management.

Selecting landscape

Selecting the right landscapes

World Vision works closely with local and national governments to evaluate and select the appropriate locations. The collaboration involves joint field assessments, identifying stakeholders and securing their engagement to ensure that restoration efforts align with the local priorities and capacities. Monitoring and evaluation plans are also put into place to assess the effectiveness of restoration activities and impact on the local community.

Water

Sustainable water management practices

In partnership with national and international specialists, World Vision facilitates the use of latest technology to co-develop Watershed Action Plans with local watershed committees. These plans include a range of physical and biological infrastructures designed to minimise flooding and maximise water infiltration and storage in the landscape for productive purposes. 

Physical

Physical infrastructure development

World Vision works with national and international technical specialists and local community experts to identify soil conservation (e.g. retention ponds and wells), assess dams and monitor soil erosion and water conservation measures. Groundwater monitoring assists local communities to evaluate their water-buffering efforts.

Green

Green infrastructure development

World Vision focuses on co-developing afforestation initiatives with local communities designed to rapidly re-establish and replenish vegetative cover to protect existing soil resources and further improve water infiltration. Measures include farmer managed natural regeneration, native trees seeding or planting, and seeking opportunities for permaculture, and agroforestry to support income generation.

Defining

Defining best practices

World Vision’s flagship restoration approach, Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR), has been introduced in 29 countries with evidence of organic adoption and spread across more than 18 million hectares. Regreening and FMNR can be integrated into broad resilience programmes in fragile contexts including cash for work programming, and conflict prevention and peacebuilding programming​. Coupled with our nutrition sensitive agriculture programming and climate smart agricultural support work, World Vision has the tools to build food secure and resilient communities and landscapes.

Community and financial engagement strategies

World Vision ensures successful landscape restoration by fostering community and financial engagement, leveraging local participation, innovative financing methods, and strategic partnerships to support and sustain restoration efforts.

Community

Community led engagement

World Vision technical specialists work with landowners and communities to assess local soil type and existing practices to build collaboratively farmer led regeneration plans, foster community participation, and enable local by-laws to establish sustainable practices, particularly in relation to fuelwood collection, grazing or fire management, within locally enforced limits.

Localisation

Localisation and partnerships

World Vision partners extensively with local and national governments and with local and international NGOs, local community-based organisations and members of the domestic and international private sector. Working within these multi-stakeholder partnerships ensure our projects are able to deliver sustainable solutions.

Nature

Nature financing innovations

World Vision utilises grant funding to unlock access to private funding, seeks private finance through carbon credits and mobilises finance and insurance for ecosystem services. We also enable loans and insurance to farmers, mobilise investment from downstream ecosystem service beneficiaries and create alternative livelihood options and supporting local supply chains.

Value

Value chain virtuous circles and livelihood security

World Vision implements value chain programming that fosters virtuous circles by integrating sustainable practices, enhancing resource efficiency, ecosystem and livelihood resilience. This approach restores landscapes and bolsters livelihoods by creating stable, sustainable economic opportunities. The virtuous circle is reinforced as value chain interventions and processing support enables high-quality products enter international markets, promoting long-term environmental and socioeconomic health.