Here’s to new partners and community-led healthy and resilient ecosystems!   A salute to 80-plus organizations who joined Analog Forestry (AF) as well as Lobby & Advocacy workshops in Africa, Latin America and Sri Lanka in 2019. To the mostly women, as well as men and youth who participated, we are looking forward to continuing our collaborations this year! To IAFN’s Accredited Trainers, THANK YOU! You are the foundation of our network – teachers as well as learners – you  enrich our network with the passion you share for people and regenerative practices.  To our partners in Cameroon who led workshops in Ghana, Togo, Uganda, Benin and Zimbabwe: your courage is boundless and inspires us to do more for people and our planet. To our new alliances with local and national officials and universities let us forge ahead with discussions to restore degraded land, mitigate climate change and promote Analog Forestry as an alternative to unsustainable practices of land management. In 2019, 20 AF demonstration sites were selected and received direct funds: in Nicaragua(Association Cuculmeca and Foundation among Women); in Honduras (ACESH, UEDESAMAR and the Tree Project); in El Salvador (Ameyalli); in Paraguay and Bolivia(2 sites guided by Sobrevivencia and PROBIOMA). In Cameroon (CENDEP 2 sites); in Togo (Les Compagnons Ruraux and Queen Mothers Association); new sites as well in Ghana, Uganda Benin and Sri Lanka. With the support of BothENDS, as members of the Global Alliance for Green and Gender Action (GAGGA), THANK YOU for the opportunity to link efforts of Women’s Rights and Environmental Justice organizations, as we strive for a more equitable and safe world.   Grover Stock, IAFN Chair Below, some highlights from 2019… Uganda Flourishing under the care of Mme Nabatanzi Margaret, supported by the Kikandwa Environmental Association (KEA), Analog Forestry design is being implemented in the Mityana district of Central Uganda. Mme Nabatanzi is an innovative and empowered woman farmer who produces golden amaranth, improving food security, nutrition and the financial well being of her family (processed into cakes, milk powder and tea). 5,246 seedlings were raised in 2019 including fruit trees (mangoes, jackfruit, avocados) as well as agroforestry and timber species (Caliandra, Maesopsis, Terminalias, Cordia, Grevillea, Gmelina and others).  A plot on the outskirts of Kampala (Mukono municipality) is also being enriched by Mukono Farmer’s Union – MUFARMU.   Ghana Mangrove restoration is key to The Development Institute (TDI), which aims to re-create a biodiverse rich landscape in the Volta Delta area with local groups. As land is not readily available, TDI focuses on the establishment of nurseries while negotiations to acquire land continue. Together with our partners CENDEP, IAFN looks forward to supporting a women-led plan geared towards mangrove restoration while strengthening ecosystem services. Togo Les Compagnons Ruraux and the Queen Mothers joined forces in the Kloto region in their forest reserve rehabilitation projects. The Queen Mothers are in charge of women’s development in their communities. Analog Forestry and Lobby & Advocacy workshops have been opportunities to discuss securing land rights for women. AF Trainer, Perry Ndzefemmegho (CENDEP) together with Queen Mothers, helped develop a design for an implementation site on an area of 1,2 hectares to improve production for self-consumption and commercialization.  Nicaragua AF Trainer Adriana Pal in July visited the parcelas of women from the Foundation Entre Mujeres in the Department of Esteli, northern Nicaragua.  Applying principles of design, 2 sites are up and going! One in the Las Limas Farm in El Colorado, Municipality of Pueblo Nuevo, the other in El Ocote Farm, in Guasuyuca. Objective: restore 6,8 acres of forest focusing on rehabilitating water sources, nurturing the soil, establishing a food forest with basic grains, flowers for the bees and 3 bio intensive gardens to diversify food production. Goal is to increase biodiversity by 60%. A second partner, Association La Cuculmeca has established a site aimed to provide food security, water conservation techniques, ecotourism as well as to grow ornamental plants. Luz Marina Valle from FEM joined Adriana Pal in the community of Jinotega as co-trainer. Species introduced include jocote, espino and pitahaya. El Salvador Looking to continue supporting the women from Ameyalli in Santo Tomas, on the outskirts of San Salvador, the 3 day workshop included a roundtable discussion at UCA University on the Water Law being discussed in El Salvador’s legislature which declares access to clean water as a Human Right. An AF design is being applied on a farm owned by the women of Ameyalli which has a tree nursery which is being enriched, along with compost production and design for water catchment in the dry season, all getting up and running! Sri Lanka Four new demonstration sites were established with the support of Rainforest Rescue International in the northern region of Cheddikulam in support of four widows with plots ranging from 0.5 to 1 acre: Selvarasa Jeyanthy, Balakrisnan Novakumary, Rasalingam Ledsumy and Sampasivam Parwathy. Trees have been planted in the Analog Forestry gardens to fill the gap using the physiognomic formula, including fruit trees such as pomegranate and sweet orange which will bear fruits to generate income while helping to protect soil quality, adding nitrogen fixing plants such as peanuts as well as species that can tolerate critical climatic conditions.    Looking forward to reporting on more highlights from other countries in the months ahead! This newsletter is supported by BothENDS // Global Alliance for Green and Gender Action The IAFN Board and office of the Secretariat, along with its Training Centers in Sri Lanka, Cameroon, Bolivia and Costa Rica integrate the Analog Forestry (AF) methodology with the women’s rights and environmental justice agendas, working with the GAGGA program. Both seek to unite and strengthen womens’ and grassroots organizations’ capacity to promote and enhance the right to clean water, healthy food, and a clean and safe environment.   IAFN-RIFA Apartado 512 Montes de Oca San Jose, Costa Rica 2050 Tel: +506 8488-5260 info@analogforestry.org