In this interview I’m joined by Tony Rinaudo to discuss his revolutionary work in developing land restoration techniques that gave hope back to poverty stricken farmers in Niger, West Africa. In the decades that followed his methods have had far reaching influence in reforesting and regreening efforts across the globe.
Tony brings us an inspirational story that underlines the role of human motivation and hope in bringing regeneration to the lands around us.
At a young age Tony was inspired to uproots from his home land of Australia to carry out missionary work in Africa. His efforts to reforest vast areas despite repeated set backs demonstrated how strongly he believed that reversing the destruction of nature was the answer to turning the tide on the devastating struggles and poverty that surrounded him.
The work was hugely challenging with many set backs but things took a complete U-turn when Tony made a discovery that a simple solution had been laying there the whole time.
This discovery led to the development of a land management technique that nurtured the growth of old trees stumps which although chopped back still had life in them and an established root system underground.
The method became known as Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR). It revolutionised land restoration in drylands and it’s simplicity, low cost and high success rates assisted farmers in becoming self sufficient, transforming lives in poverty stricken communities.
In the decades since Tony’s work has contributed to the reforesting of over six million hectares of land and has attracted him numerous awards and wide spread recognition.
I hope you’ll enjoy listening to Tony’s story as he shares his knowledge and incredible experience.
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Learn more about Tony’s work and offer support to World Vision by purchasing his book: FIND IT HERE
