Social Forestry initiative led by Fairventures secures S$1 million prize in The Liveability Challenge, aiming to expand their social forestry approach
Fairventures Social Forestry, a start-up focused on community-driven reforestation and agroforestry projects, has emerged as the winner of The Liveability Challenge 2022. This prestigious competition, themed "Accelerating Action at Scale", aims to gather global leaders, policymakers, investors, and civil society to discuss real solutions for the energy revolution, decarbonisation, and financing Asia's green transition.
The Liveability Challenge, a global platform that connects investors and entrepreneurs with innovative solutions to tackle sustainability threats, has played a key role in sourcing high-potential solutions and ideas, supporting them, and helping them scale up quickly. This year, the competition focused on three themes: Decarbonisation, Food & Agritechnology, and Nature-based Solutions.
Fairventures Social Forestry's innovative approach to forest conservation and management has significantly impacted Southeast Asia. Since 2018, they have run a 3,000-hectare pilot project in Borneo, Indonesia, with 130 community members. Their model empowers local communities by involving them directly in forest restoration efforts, enhancing biodiversity, improving livelihoods, and sequestering carbon.
Impact of Fairventures Social Forestry
- Community Empowerment: Fairventures partners with local smallholders and communities to restore degraded forest lands, promoting sustainable land use that balances ecological health with economic benefits.
- Sustainable Reforestation: Their projects restore native forests and establish agroforestry systems combining trees with crops, improving soil quality, water retention, and biodiversity.
- Carbon Sequestration: By restoring forests, they contribute to climate change mitigation through carbon capture, supporting global environmental goals.
- Economic Development: The initiative provides training, resources, and market access to smallholders, enabling sustainable livelihoods rooted in forest stewardship.
- Biodiversity Conservation: Restoring native forests helps protect threatened species and ecosystems unique to Southeast Asia.
Future Plans
Fairventures Social Forestry aims to scale up its impact by expanding reforestation projects across Southeast Asia, integrating more advanced technologies like digital monitoring to enhance transparency and effectiveness. They also plan to deepen partnerships with governments, NGOs, and the private sector to attract more funding and policy support. Strengthening community engagement remains a priority to ensure long-term sustainability, alongside developing value chains that connect sustainable forest products to global markets.
Funding and Investments
In addition to winning The Liveability Challenge 2022 and securing up to S$1 million in project funding, Fairventures Social Forestry has also received further investments. They received an additional S$100,000 investment by PlanetRise and a S$50,000 investment by Quest Ventures. Other start-ups in the sustainability sector, such as GAIT, Wasna, ImpacFat, and Red Dot Analytics, have also received investments to support their innovative solutions.
For more information about Fairventures Social Forestry, visit www.fairventures.asia. For more information about The Liveability Challenge, visit www.theliveabilitychallenge.com.
Meanwhile, Temasek Foundation's programmes strive towards achieving positive outcomes for individuals and communities now and for generations to come. Their diverse range of programmes aims at uplifting lives and communities, both in Singapore and beyond. For more information about Temasek Foundation, visit www.temasekfoundation.org.sg.
Ecosperity Week 2022, themed "Accelerating Action at Scale", takes place on 7-9 June in a hybrid format. The programme includes panel discussions, fireside chats, roundtable discussions, and more. For more information about Ecosperity Week 2022, visit www.ecosperity.sg.
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- Green Businesses and Finance: The Liveability Challenge supports innovative solutions, attracting investments for startups like Fairventures Social Forestry, which is focused on climate change mitigation through sustainable reforestation and empowering local communities.
- Lifestyle and Technology: As more people and businesses prioritize sustainability and environmental concerns, technology plays a crucial role in scaling up effective solutions like Fairventures Social Forestry's digital monitoring systems, enhancing transparency and effectiveness.
- Sustainability and Biodiversity: Fairventures Social Forestry's reforestation efforts not only sequester carbon to combat climate change but also protect endemic species and ecosystems in Southeast Asia, supporting global biodiversity goals.
- Sustainable Sports: Sustainable solutions like Fairventures Social Forestry's can help sports organizations reduce their carbon footprint and promote environmental stewardship, contributing to a greener and more sustainable world.
- Climate-Change and Science: The science of climate change demonstrates the urgent need for action, and initiatives like The Liveability Challenge connect global leaders, policymakers, and entrepreneurs to discuss and implement real solutions, such as Fairventures Social Forestry's decarbonisation efforts.
- Environmental Science and Policy: The Liveability Challenge provides a platform for policymakers to engage with entrepreneurs and investors, fostering collaboration to develop and scale up innovative strategies for environmental conservation and decarbonisation.
- Sustainable Business and Asia's Transition: Asia's green transition, fueled by investments in sustainable businesses, contributes to a more sustainable economy and promotes long-term environmental, social, and financial growth for the region.
