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Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Reserve in Canada has "Healthy Foods-Healthy Communities" initiative, a multi-year project begun in 2009, which builds local knowledge and capacity around food security, food access, food cost issues, nutrition awareness, traditional diets analysis, and understanding of marine and forest gardening production potential. They have completed a regional food survey, looking at social, economic, cultural and environmental issues affecting food security, and developed a regional food action plan and network, which includes food retailers, farmers, social service groups, local government officials and interested individuals. The resulting action plan is an excellent model that could be followed in many other biosphere reserves. Four of the five First Nation Communities have committed to community gardens and there is now a Tofino Community Food Initiative. Traditional food kits for demonstration projects have been produced, as well as a video addressing food security challenges in the region.

Our strategy at Doreo, builds on the core philosophy of the pioneer of modern Venture Capital, General Georges Doriot, to help great people build great companies. As Venture Capital partners we identify visionary entrepreneurs and work side by side to create great companies by bringing to bear deep sector expertise, strategic guidance, access to capital and operational excellence. At Doreo we have structured our investment approach and organization to provide entrepreneurs and their teams with access to the combined resources of the entire firm and our advisors.

The Kafa and Yayu Biosphere Reserves of Ethiopia contain important Afromontane forests and biologically rich areas, some of which are threatened and contain the centers of diversity for Coffea Arabica. The Yayu forest has the greatest abundance of wild Aribica coffee anywhere. Sustainable development activities in these reserves focus on public-private partnerships for economic growth, particularly for sustainable coffee production, including planting of fruit trees for crop production and to provide shade for coffee.

The Land Institute has worked for over 30 years on the problem of agriculture. Our purpose is to develop an agricultural system with the ecological stability of the prairie and a grain yield comparable to that from annual crops. We have researched, published in refereed scientific journals, given hundreds of public presentations here and abroad, and hosted countless intellectuals and scientists. Our work is frequently cited, most recently in Science and Nature, the most prestigious scientific journals. We are now assembling a team of advisors which includes members of the National Academy of Sciences. These scientists understand our work and stand ready to endorse the feasibility of what we have come to call Natural Systems Agriculture.

Our strategy now is to collaborate with public institutions in order to direct more research in the direction of Natural Systems Agriculture. We are seeking funds to construct and operate a research center devoted to Natural Systems Agriculture and to underwrite scientists elsewhere who will engage with us in such research. We estimate the research cost to be $5 million a year for 25 years, which is a small fraction of one percent of the nation's annual agricultural research investment.

Important questions have been answered and crucial principles explored to the point that we feel comfortable in saying that we have demonstrated the scientific feasibility of our proposal for a Natural Systems Agriculture. Because this work deals with basic biological questions and principles, the implications are applicable worldwide. If Natural Systems Agriculture were fully adopted, we could one day see the end of agricultural scientists from industrialized societies delivering agronomic methods and technologies from their fossil fuel-intensive infrastructures into developing countries and thereby saddling them with brittle economies.

Rhön Biosphere Reserve, one of Germany’s 14 biosphere reserves, has successful programs in conservation, utilization and marketing of a variety of local products including the native Rhön sheep, more than 170 different apple varieties, organic beef and dairy products, trout, and caraway seeds. The sheep are now marketed to local restaurants and there is an annual sheep festival. An apple initiative has raised money to carry out research on regional apple varieties, which are used for eating, juice, apple bear, schnapps, vinegar, and chips. These activities have benefitted local communities by securing jobs and creating new jobs (small scale), conservation of food genetic resources, and protection of wildlife habitats.

The Sierra De Manantlan Unesco Biosphere in Mexico is a tropical forest and grassland biosphere reserve area, which includes communities engaged mainly in agriculture (corn, beans, tomatoes, sugarcane, watermelon, mangoes), livestock grazing, timber production and extraction of wood for fuel and mining of coal and minerals. Living conditions are poor and marginal, so the biosphere reserve addresses the dual challenge of improving the livelihood of people and conserving wild relatives of important crops such as Zea diploperennis, populations of several races of maize traditional for this area, and wild forms of the runner bean, Phaseolus coccineus.

SEI is an independent international research institute. We have been engaged in environment and development issues at local, national, regional and global policy levels for more than 20 years.

The Institute was formally established in 1989 by the Swedish Government and celebrated its 20th anniversary in October 2009. SEI has established a reputation for rigorous and objective scientific analysis in the field of environment and development.

Our goal is to bring about change for sustainable development by bridging science and policy. We do this by providing integrated analysis that supports decision makers.

How we work We believe that scientific insights can guide us through change and should inform decision making and public policy. We also believe that local knowledge and values are crucial in building sustainable lives. Our approach is often highly collaborative, and stakeholder involvement has always been at the heart of SEI’s work. Our projects help to build capacity and strengthen institutions to equip our partners for the long-term.

Our researchers are gathered into four thematic teams that tackle overarching issues like climate change, energy systems, vulnerability and governance, as well as specific problems such as water resources and air pollution. Our work on energy scenarios, sustainability modelling and vulnerability assessments has gained particular recognition.

SEI is an innovator, and has consistently shown the vision to confront issues before they enter the mainstream: our pioneering work on renewable energy and sustainable sanitation has its roots in the early days of the Institute.

What makes us different

We combine the qualities of:

-a non-profit and non-partisan research institute

- an honest broker in handling complex environmental, developmental and social issues

- a research institute committed to rigorous and objective scientific analysis to support improved policymaking

- an agent for change that promotes transitions to a more sustainable world.