Members

The International Network for Mountain Indigenous Peoples (INMIP) was established in “year” at the Himalayas of Bhutan.

10 Countries

Among 10 participating countries of Bhutan, China, India, Kyrgyzstan, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Taiwan, Tajikistan, and Thailand.
See Members

Who We Are

INMIP was formed for capacity building in establishing and implementing Biocultural Heritage Territories and for sharing knowledge on climate change adaptation and the development of innovations that support resilience. INMIP is an important instrument for supporting implementation of local, national and international climate change programs and policies, and to strengthen sustainable management practices in mountain territories.

The network has celebrated three International Learning Exchanges (Bhutan in 2014, Tajikistan in 2015, and China in 2016) each producing a Declaration outlining key messages that call on governments, research and civil society organizations and the international community to recognize the value of biocultural heritage and traditional knowledge for strengthening natural resource management systems. INMIP annual Learning Exchange strengthens critical mass and provides a space for the sharing of traditional knowledge and practices for local food autonomy and climate governance.

MEMBERS

Asociación ANDES, Peru

Asociación ANDES is an international indigenous-led organization that works to support indigenous peoples’ struggles for biocultural rights and self-determination, land rights and territorial development, and community-controlled and biodiversity-based food systems.

ANDES’ support takes the form of independent research and analysis; promoting collective action; networking at local, regional, and international levels; and fostering new forms of knowledge creation, partnerships, and alliance-building.

Center for Chinese Agricultural Policy (CCAP), China

The Center for Chinese Agricultural Policy (CCAP) was established in December 1995 at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) and has been a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) since 2000.

CCAP’s works to analyze policies related to natural resource management for the strengthening of sustainable food and agricultural systems and to provide policy suggestions that address the challenges facing China´s agricultural and rural development. CCAP also works on pilot policy research programs that assess and influence policy development and implementation, and contribute to sustainable development in China.

Farmers Seed Network (FSN), China

Farmers’ Seed Network (FSN) was established in December 2013 and developed from the pre-existing Farmers Participatory Breeding and Seed-Sharing Network. FSN is a multi-stakeholder, civil society organization that has strengthened partnerships among farmers, scientists, seed enterprises, NGOs, universities, policy researchers and policy makers for the promotion of community based in-situ conservation, agro-biodiversity management and the intergenerational transmission of traditional knowledge and culture. FSN works in three primary areas: 1) Farmers’ Seed System Enhancement; 2) Multi-stakeholder Exchange and Networking; and 3) Policy Research and Advocacy.

Fresh Produce Development Agency (FPDA), Papua New Guinea

FPDA is a government agency that engages in capacity-building and training for subsistence and small-scale commercial farmers on the process and structure of value-chains for becoming small-medium-entrepreneurs (SME).

As part of this development work that links farmers to markets, FDPA collaborates with actors in the value chain such as transport providers and market players such as hotels, catering companies and supermarkets.

Mountain Societies Development Support Programme (MSDSP), Tajikistan

The Mountain Societies Development Support Programme (MSDSP) was initiated by the Aga Khan Foundation in 2003 with the goal to improve living conditions in select mountain communities in the country.

To achieve its goal, MSDSP operates a multi-sector programe which engages in natural resource management, early childhood development (ECD) and community health.

Public Foundation Bio-Muras, Kyrgyzstan

The principal mission of Bio-Muras is to support local communities as they are the custodians of traditional knowledge that work to revitalize and conserve biocultural heritage for the protection of agrobiodiversity in the Kyrgyz Republic.

Our organization also conducts training workshops on horticulture and the establishment of fruit nurseries.

Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFP) – Exchange Programme, Philippines

NTFP is a collaborative network of NGOs working towards the empowerment of forest-dependent communities to strengthen, develop and promote NTFP-based forest management strategies that are sustainable, culturally-appropriate and gender responsive. Our work focuses on:

(1) organizing and strengthening forest-dependent communities; (2) capacity building; (3) incorporating indigenous knowledge systems and practices (IKSP) into community-based enterprises; (4) integrating sustainable resource management planning into enterprise operations; (5) developing products and appropriate technologies; (6) identifying appropriate markets; (7) linking community-based enterprises to value chain actors; (8) development of standards and appropriate certification schemes; (9) providing access to finance; and (10) monitoring impacts.

 

Pgakenyaw Association for Sustainable Development (PASD), Thailand

PASD works with the community of Hin Lad Nai of the Karen people, whose community is situated in an evergreen forest in the north of Thailand. The community of Hin Lad Nai works to protect their rotational farming system as a mainstay of their livelihood. PASD is working to diversify forest products in order to increase local livelihood resilience while maintaining rotational farming as the foundation of their traditional practices.

Community members are also conducting community-based research in order to generate local evidence that can contribute to achieving recognition and acceptance by the government.

Research Center of Humanistic Innovation and Social Engagement (ReCHISE), Taiwan

Established in October 2016, ReCHISE is a research center at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Taipei Medical University. Our mission is to study, design and implement innovative practices of universities´ social engagement in the real world. Our first large-scale project between 2016 and 2018 is titled “An Innovative Alliance for Active Aging Based on Care.”

Through this project, we work with three different communities in Taiwan, including urban, suburban, and indigenous communities, to study the structural problems prohibiting people to age actively and locally and to find innovative solutions with the empowerment of the local people. Our goal is to develop a model of care that covers people’s medical, ecological, social, and cultural aspects of life.

The Potato Park, Peru

The Potato Park in Pisac, Cusco, Peru, is recognized on a global level as a successful and mature model of landscape conservation, climate change adaption, and the sustainable use of biological resources. The Potato Park is a center of origin of the potato, which has for centuries been a focal point of the Andean food system.

This genetic diversity has been maintained through the practice of the Andean cosmovision or “ayllu” that promotes an integrated, holistic model of co-living between physical, biotic, and cultural elements. The Quechua communities of the Potato Park apply an alternative development approach that is based on local business models that enhance the sustainable use of local resources and successfully integrate both ancestral knowledge and modern innovations as a strategy to secure the resilience and productivity of agro-mountain systems.

University of Goroka, Papua New Guinea

The University of Goroka is located in Goroka, the capital of the Eastern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea. The Highlands’ sense of tradition and culture is part of life in Goroka, as well as at the University. Students and staff from all over PNG and other nations are encouraged to maintain and share their own traditional cultures whilst at UoG. The University of Goroka is one of the fastest growing learning institutions in PNG and the South Pacific, and is committed to offering the very best in high quality tertiary education to students in all areas of study.

A promotion of the uniqueness of Papua New Guinea and South Pacific cultural heritage will be pursued through the content of the courses in such areas as the Arts, Languages, Beliefs, Commerce and Natural Environment. UoG believes in sustaining and promoting diverse Pacific cultural heritage.

Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI), Kenya

The Kenya Forestry Research Institute is a state corporation established in 1986, under the Science and Technology Act (Cap 250), now the Science, Technology and Innovation Act No. 28 of 2013. The Institute is under the Environmental Protection, Water and Natural Resources Sector, and undertakes research to generate and promote improved technologies for sustainable management, conservation and development of forests and allied natural resources.

The mandate of KEFRI is to undertake research in forestry and allied natural resources disseminate research findings; and establish partnerships and cooperate with other research organizations and institutions of higher learning in joint research and training. The institute conducts research and development activities under five thematic areas namely: Forest productivity and Improvement; Biodiversity and Environment Management; Forest Products Development; Social-economics, Policy and Governance and Technical Support Services.

The Institute’s research is tailor-made to address the unique needs of the various Eco-regions in Kenya hence it has 5 regional research programmes. These include; Central Highlands Eco-region Research Programme, Rift-Valley Eco-region Research Programme, Drylands Eco-region Research Programme, Lake Basin Eco-region Research Programme and Coast Eco-region Research Programme. The Eco-region research programmes have head offices in Muguga, Londiani, Kitui, Maseno and Gede respectively. The Institute also has one national Forest Product Research Centre located in Karura.