Peer-to-Peer Learning
The CASH Coalition regularly convenes collaborative peer-to-peer learning sessions focused on practical experiences and research to facilitate information exchange and strengthen connections among members, partners, and the broader field. These sessions advance:
Knowledge Exchange: Members directly share knowledge, best practices, and challenges, drawing on actionable, contextually relevant insights that support the scaling of regenerative practices and climate actions by an engaged, informed, and collaborative community.
Community and Field-Building: The sessions strengthen the Coalition and the field, creating a supportive network of practitioners who learn from and support each other in overcoming common challenges.
Promoting Innovation: By exchanging diverse perspectives and approaches, members spark innovative thinking and gain exposure to new ideas, technologies, and implementation strategies. Peer learning enables members to quickly identify and build on effective regenerative practices, scaling strategies, and financing mechanisms that have been successfully implemented, reducing duplication and costly repetition of mistakes.
Informing Policy and Advocacy: Insights from peer learning shape well-informed policy recommendations and advocacy efforts, grounding them in real-world experiences and the priorities of smallholders.
Recordings
2024
Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW) Peer 2 Peer session
Caitlin Mckee, Assistant Director of Research, Precision Development (PxD); Shantanu Agarwal, Founder and CEO, Mati Carbon; Wiekert Visser, Visiting Professor and Geoscientist, Heliopolis University/Sekem and Thoraya Seada, Director of Carbon Footprint Center at Heliopolis University/Sekem; Sam Davies of Flux Carbon; and Ashwin Kishen, Commercial Projects Lead, and Carolina Catunda, Scientific Partnerships Lead, Terradot.
This Peer-to-Peer Learning Session gathers CASH members and partners to exchange insights from smallholder-focused ERW projects across Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and South America. The session will allow participants to explore ERW project scope, share learnings, and identify challenges and collaboration opportunities. By connecting key stakeholders and projects, the session aims to expand the ERW practitioner network, gauge interest in joint actions, and explore ways to support climate and livelihood benefits through smallholder ERW applications.
Terradot’s contributions to the session are not included in the deck and video as they contained proprietary information.
Financing Regenerative Agriculture
Rex Raimond, Director, Transformational Investing in Food Systems (TIFS).
Rex Raimond led a presentation on financing regenerative agriculture, highlighting the need for innovative financial models, including blended finance and impact investing, to support the shift toward regenerative practices. He discussed the need for finance mechanisms tailored to local contexts and public-private partnerships that incentivize sustainable practices for improved soil health, biodiversity, and resilience.
Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities’ Land Rights in the Context of Carbon Markets
Juan Robalino, Climate Change & Land Tenure Specialist, Landesa.
The session focused on the integration of free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) in carbon offset projects involving indigenous communities outlined in a 10-step FPIC process developed by Landesa in consultation with CASH members. Community engagement is emphasized in each stage to uphold social integrity and avoid risks associated with non-compliance. Discussions underscored the need for clear guidelines on project costs, legal contracts, and the roles of local governance structures, advocating for FPIC as a safeguard that ensures responsible carbon credit development and to mitigate potential conflicts.
Exploring Carbon Readiness for Africa’s Restoration Champions
Isabel Harrington, Project & Engagement Specialist II for the TerraFund program, World Resources Institute (WRI).
This WRI-led peer-to-peer learning session highlighted TerraFund’s approach to supporting African “Restoration Champions” by bridging funding gaps and offering essential capacity-building resources to enable large-scale community-led land restoration. Participants learned about TerraFund’s monitoring systems and tools that facilitate accountability and track environmental and socioeconomic impacts across diverse landscapes. Additionally, the session explored TerraFund’s carbon finance readiness efforts, including a pilot project in Ghana aimed at scaling restoration through locally-led carbon solutions.
Leveraging Remote Sensing for Smallholder Climate Work
Presented title: Darcy Gray, Global Remote Sensing Manager, One Acre Fund
In this session, Darcy Gray shared insights on leveraging satellite remote sensing to enhance program efficiency and smallholder farmers’ climate resilience. Applications discussed included monitoring tree cover changes to assess agroforestry impact, using data to inform fertilizer recommendations, and employing flood mapping for dynamic loan forgiveness. The presentation highlighted challenges, including data accessibility, resolution limitations, and the integration of ground data to ensure accuracy.
Artificial Intelligence for Regenerative Agriculture
Jona Rapishti, Head of Global Gender Programs, Digital Green.
Digital Green’s Peer-to-Peer session showcased their AI chatbot, Farmer.Chat, which supports smallholder farmers by providing on-demand, localized agricultural advice. The tool aims to increase the accessibility and impact of climate-smart, gender-inclusive practices at a fraction of traditional costs, enhancing farmers’ resilience to challenges like pests, diseases, and climate changes. Participants discussed the chatbot’s potential to empower farmers, improve efficiency, and close gender productivity gaps, while exploring collaboration opportunities within the CASH Coalition to expand this digital advisory. This is a rapidly developing workstream, and this content may already be outdated. Please contact us or Digital Green for more recent information.
2023
Work and Trials on Regenerative Agriculture
Claire Brosnihan, Climate, Food Systems and Gender Lead, Global Partnerships, One Acre Fund.
The deck is an updated version of the 2023 presentation tailored for a field audience.
One Acre Fund’s peer-to-peer learning session highlighted their work advancing regenerative, climate-smart agriculture by supporting smallholder farmers with soil health improvements, agro-biodiversity, and resilience strategies. Emphasizing sustainable practices, they shared insights from trials in intercropping, conservation agriculture, and tree planting, aiming for a holistic impact on farmer livelihoods and climate resilience. Key outcomes included enhancing crop diversity, improving farmer access to insurance, and advancing carbon credit opportunities to promote long-term regenerative practices.
Upscaling Regenerative Farming in Egypt to 40,000 Farmers
Thoraya Seada, Director of the Carbon Footprint Center, Heliopolis University / SEKEM.
Participants learned about the SEKEM’s approach to sustainable development in Egypt. SEKEM’s unique model integrates biodynamic farming, industry, education and community services, emphasizing soil health, crop biodiversity, renewable energy, and fair finance. SEKEM’s “Economy of Love” carbon standard, supports smallholder farmers’ transition to regenerative practices by providing local certification, financial support, and access to carbon credits.
Net Zero Commitments & Insetting
Elizabeth Teague, Senior Director, Climate Resilience, Root Capital.
Root Capital’s peer-to-peer learning session focussed on understanding and critically assessing net zero commitments in climate strategies. The discussion highlighted challenges with current net zero standards, especially regarding Scope 3 emissions, which are critical for organizations with extensive indirect emissions. Emphasis was placed on prioritizing emissions reductions over offsets.
The edited version of this video excludes the insetting section of the session, as it included proprietary and client information.
Opportunity: Biological Products for Smallholder Regenerative Agriculture.
Thet Wai, Associate Head of Products, Proximity Designs.
Proximity Designs’ team shared their approach to integrating biological products, such as Trichoderma bio-pesticide, to boost soil health, reduce chemical inputs, and support regenerative agriculture practices. They discussed practical application techniques and highlighted key benefits, including increased yields, reduced fertilizer and pesticide costs, and enhanced crop resilience. Proximity emphasized making solutions accessible and affordable to smallholder farmers through local production and field support.
Enabling Environments for Equitable Payments for Ecosystem Services.
Rachel McMonagle, Climate Change Director, Landesa.
The session emphasized the critical role of secure land rights as a condition for smallholder farmers to effectively engage in carbon markets and climate-smart initiatives. Landesa advocates for a foundational approach where land rights and free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) empower communities to make autonomous decisions in carbon market projects, thus promoting fair benefit-sharing and long-term security. Additionally, Landesa highlighted the importance of due diligence processes to ensure ethical engagement and equitable partnerships with local communities.
