Regeneration International (RI), OCA’s international sister organization, delivered a presentation at the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification COP (Congress of the Parties) #15 in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire on May 13.

The COP 15 theme, ‘Land. Life. Legacy: From scarcity to prosperity,’ was organized as a call to action to ensure that land and biodiversity, the lifelines of the planet, continue to support and benefit the present and future generations.

COP 15 in Africa brought together leaders from governments, the private sector, and civil society from around the world to discuss how we can move from catastrophic degeneration to regenerating our most precious assets: land, biodiversity, and the livelihoods of the three billion people on the Earth who live and farm in rural communities.

Precious Phiri (Zimbabwe), Oliver Gardiner (France) and André Leu (Australia) from Regeneration International gave presentations about the multiple benefits of organic and regenerative agriculture to restore and improve degraded arid and semi-arid landscapes. Their presentations featured the Billion Agave Project, an agave-based agroforestry and holistic livestock management system in Mexico pioneered by OCA, Via Organica, and RI, now attracting global interest, as well as organic and regenerative grazing practices deployed by RI affiliates across the world.

Read more about the International Steering Committee of Regeneration International

Read more about the Billion Agave Project

Read more about Pasticultores del Desierto (Farmers and Ranchers of the Desert)