Climatelinks Photo Gallery

A woman cradles her child as she stands over a recently burned patch of forest, to be used for charcoal collection. She is one of many in Maralal driven to environmentally-destructive livelihoods like charcoal harvesting. Though there is not much money to be made by making and selling charcoal and it is easy to get caught by local forest officials, there are few other options for reliable livelihoods. 

The Kirisia Forest ecosystem in Maralal, Kenya supports a population of about 50,000 people, predominantly Samburu nomadic pastoralists who access the forest for timber and honey and for grazing and watering their livestock during the dry season. Households depend heavily on the forest for its resources and also for its spiritual and aesthetic importance. Despite Kirisia’s centrality to the community, unrelenting drought has caused many people to lose their livestock and turn to extractive practices as a way to survive. Since 1973, the forest has lost a quarter of its tree cover, in large part due to harvesting and herding activities being pursued by those with few other options. 

In response, BOMA, a Nairobi and US-based NGO, is implementing a solution known as "Green REAP," which focuses on building climate resilience while also working to end extreme poverty. Through this sustainability-driven approach, participants are empowered to launch “green” businesses, contribute to local conservation efforts, and engage in climate mitigation strategies such as purchasing water tanks and developing tree nurseries and apiaries. This approach was first piloted in the areas surrounding Kirisia Forest, targeting charcoal manufacturers and other forest-reliant workers to lessen the impact of economic activities on Kirisia. The pilot was an astounding success, with deforestation reducing dramatically and 30,000 seedlings having been planted to date. Additionally, 60% of pilot participants have shifted away from extractive livelihoods and into sustainable green enterprises. Most have also joined their local community conservation group and are taking the lead in forest management and restoration. 

By providing access to these tools and resources, BOMA is creating a network of climate-conscious entrepreneurs who are committed to protecting the environment and mitigating the impacts of climate change. This approach not only improves the livelihoods of those involved but also benefits the planet by promoting sustainable development in the face of one of the greatest challenges of our time.

Alternative livelihoods such as beekeeping are essential to uplifting communities while protecting forests. Apiaries are one of many green business that BOMA, a Nairobi and U.S.-based NGO, helps to nurture and launch in arid regions of Africa, including in communities surrounding Kenya's Kirisia Forest. 

The Kirisia Forest ecosystem in Maralal, Kenya supports a population of about 50,000 people, predominantly Samburu nomadic pastoralists who access the forest for timber and honey and for grazing and watering their livestock during the dry season. Households depend heavily on the forest for its resources, and also for its spiritual and aesthetic importance. Despite Kirisia’s centrality to the community, unrelenting drought has meant that many people have lost their livestock and have turned to forest extractives as a way to survive. Since 1973, however, the forest has lost a quarter of its tree cover — and this devestation has continued at an unprecedented pace due to harvesting and herding activities being pursued by those with few other options for livelihoods.

Power Africa through USAID awarded grants totaling $669,330 to five solar energy companies operating in Liberia. Grantees partnered with organizations across Liberia to expand the supply of productive use of energy products in the country, thus widening access to electricity, increasing productivity, and catalyzing income-generating activities for economic growth. Because female farmers provide more than 60 percent of Liberia’s agricultural labor, these grants create opportunities for women to benefit from productive use of energy products, like Forma Kollie, who is holding a solar dryer.

One of the enumerators of the Philippines' Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources National Stock Assessment Program learns the latest data collection methods for stock assessment, particularly of staple fish such as the round scad (galunggong), also known as the "poor man's fish." The training by USAID Fish Right Program included classroom sessions as well as practice drills with landed catch sampling of roundscad fish at the Navotas Fish Port Complex, the premier fish center in the Philippines and one of the largest in Asia. The exercise also included a consultation with commercial fishers whose cooperation is critical in sample collection. Streamlining fish data collection in major ports such as Navotas will provide fishery managers with more reliable data to create evidence-based fisheries management policies and measures. This will help sustain the poor man's fish and improve food security at a time of declining fish stocks due to climate change.

A group of women in the Women's Empowerment Group in Abuja gather to conduct a fundraising exercise to pool funds for business and health emergencies. The goal of the Women's Empowerment Group is to create a safe space and build the capacity and agency of women in local communities to collaborate, discuss, and practice healthy behaviors and partake in decision-making with their spouses. This is a locally-led initiative and strategy that promotes gender and social inclusion.

Power Africa, through USAID-awarded grants totaling $669,330 to five solar energy companies operating in Liberia, assisted the grantees to distribute solar-powered productive use of energy (PUE) technologies that let users harvest, process, and preserve agricultural produce and fish, or power small businesses. Power Africa grants seek to scale sustainable business models to make more productive use of energy products available on the Liberian market, stimulate demand for the products, and test several business models to supply clean energy. These models include offering pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) financing, establishing community service providers, developing a franchisee program, and setting up PUE centers. For Marie Ginkai, this investment in solar panels to power her business means energy security that will increase productivity.

Power Africa's support to the Karusa wind farm has resulted in more than 500 GWh generated annually, potentially avoiding the emission of approximately 500,000 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. The wind farm, developed by partner Enel Green Power, pushes 147 MW of renewable energy into South Africa’s electricity grid. The turbines, manufactured by partner Vestas, are the largest on the African continent. On a recent site visit, Israel Thothela, Plant Operations & Maintenance Manager, explained why South Africa needs more clean energy like this, and highlighted that the country's energy transition could alleviate poverty and create jobs, particularly in communities around power plants such as Karusa.

Through USAID, Power Africa awarded grants totaling $669,330 to five solar energy companies operating in Liberia. This funding assisted the grantees to distribute solar-powered productive use of energy technologies that lets users harvest, process, and preserve agricultural produce and fish, or power small businesses. One of the grantees, Liberian Energy Network Two (LEN) scaled its solar-powered fishing light pilot project in Robertsport, Cape Mount County, by supplying fishing communities with multi-pronged fishing lights and communal cold storage powered by mobile solar panels. A social enterprise established in 2011, LEN was the first Power Africa partner operating in Liberia. With its partners Blue Action Network and the local fishers’ co-management association, LEN offered solar-rechargeable LED lights with built-in phone chargers on credit. These devices allow for extended night fishing, increasing yields and improving the fishers’ safety by enhancing their visibility to commercial freighters and removing the fire hazard of kerosene lamps. The project also introduced solar powered freezer units to the fishing community for the preservation of fish to reduce waste.

The Karusa Wind Farm, developed by Enel Green Power, pushes 147 MW of renewable energy into South Africa's electricity grid. The turbines, manufactured by Vestas, are the largest on the African continent. The farm can generate more than 500 GWh annually, potentially avoiding the emission of approximately 500,000 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. On a recent site visit, Israel Thothela, Plant Operations & Maintenance Manager, explained why South Africa needs more clean energy projects like this, and highlighted that the country's energy transition could alleviate poverty and create jobs, particularly in communities around power plants such as Karusa.

Using the four-star meal concept, the nutrition card game is an innovative approach to promoting dietary diversity for families. A four-star meal is the minimum dietary requirement to combat malnutrition among children under 5 and pregnant and nursing mothers. Dietary diversity is important for optimal health and well-being, as it provides the body with a range of essential nutrients, preventing nutrient deficiency. The game is a fun and interactive way for individuals to learn about the nutritional value of the different food groups and how to combine them to make adequate nutritious diets. The game typically includes cards representing the four food groups and players are tasked with creating a four-star meal that contains at least one food item from the four food groups.

In collaboration with Sunlight Foods Corporation (SFC), USAID Philippines, through its Safe Water Project, empowers farmers like Melinda and Virgie of the Pamalpalen Irrigators Association to shift to sustainable livelihoods. The collaboration has enabled farmers to adopt eco-friendly ube (purple yam) farming methods, which has led to increased farm productivity and preserved water and soil nutrients. SFC purchases all ube produce, ensuring a stable market for farmers. 

More than 70 local farmer organizations, including the Pamalpalen Irrigators Association, have emerged as key suppliers to leading markets by offering sustainable ube crops. This transformative shift boosts community incomes and instills a newfound dedication by communities to protecting the ecosystem, including the watershed where they live. It also demonstrates the crucial role that communities play in increasing resilience to climate risks by promoting ecosystem recovery and water recharge, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions through conserved and healthy forests.

A young man from the El Reposo neighborhood in Quibdó, Chocó, Colombia raises environmental awareness with his art, sending the message that in a world where climate and social challenges are intertwined, resilience is the force that drives transformation. This photo was provided by the USAID Youth Resiliene Activity implemented by ACDI/VOCA.

The image shows terraced fields in Sapa, Vietnam at the start of the spring crop preparing to be planted with wet rice.

Indigenous Peoples from the Kichwa ethnic group of the Napo River and Green Gold Forestry staff harvest the palm trees that produce aguaje, a fruit with high ecological, economic, and social value in the Peruvian Amazon. The combination of sustainable forest management plans with local, Indigenous knowledge is protecting the wetlands where the fruits grow, which also results in carbon storage. USAID Program: Sustainable Management of Forest Concessions

GGF elaborated the first Forest Management Plan and annual Operational Plan complementary to timber harvesting. Both plans include the management of the Aguaje "Mauritia flexuosa" and species of Huasaí "Euterpe precatoria" and Shiringa "Hevea brasiliensis", having identified 24 other species that will also be studied and used in the future within a framework of environmental, economic and social sustainability.

A farmer is sitting atop of a truck containing wheat kernels directly following harvest in Beheira, Egypt, where growing conditions are getting more challenging due to climate change. Ongoing efforts in the region include sharing climate-smart practices appropriate to smallholder farmers, such as improving soil health, diversifying crops to preserve productivity, and implementing modern irrigation methods to help them grow marketable crops for export and address water security challenges.

Off-grid, renewable energy technologies like this solar light are increasingly more affordable to communities such as Ankazobe, Madagascar, where less than 35 percent of the population has access to electricity. Students complete more years of school when they have electricity in their homes because they have more time for reading and homework.