The Nurturing Community of Knowledge Practice for Women in Dryland Forests and Agrosilvopastoral Systems (WeCaN)

A participatory approach centred on women’s knowledge

WeCaN applies a participatory, bottom-up methodology that recognizes women as experts in their own territories and as active contributors to policy and development processes.

At the heart of this approach is the Virtual Knowledge Sharing Café, a safe, multilingual and culturally responsive space where women exchange practical experience, analyse common challenges and co-create solutions grounded in local realities.

To facilitate participation from remote dryland areas, the Cafés use accessible, low-bandwidth technologies and multilingual facilitation. Each session combines a concise expert knowledge capsule, peer-to-peer dialogue, collective reflection and the identification of locally relevant practices and policy recommendations.

Topics have included climate-smart agriculture, drought preparedness, ecosystem-based adaptation, climate finance, gender-responsive restoration, silvopastoral value chains, advocacy planning, stakeholder mapping, negotiation skills and gender analysis.

The sessions are linked to international policy processes under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and the Convention on Biological Diversity. Learning continues through thematic working groups, monthly exchanges, WhatsApp communities and South-South cooperation initiatives.

Through this integrated approach, WeCaN will continue to connect women’s knowledge, leadership and innovation with the policies and partnerships needed to build resilient and sustainable dryland systems

Theory of Change

WeCaN is guided by the recognition that women are not only beneficiaries of development interventions. They are knowledge holders, environmental innovators and leaders of climate action.

The initiative is based on the premise that women can more effectively influence policies, restore degraded ecosystems and advance inclusive rural development when they have equitable access to knowledge and technical capacities, financial and institutional resources, decision-making spaces and collective platforms for advocacy and action.

WeCaN therefore works not only to strengthen individual capacities, but also to create a more enabling environment for women’s leadership. Its approach integrates four mutually reinforcing areas: community learning, leadership development, policy engagement and South-South cooperation. Together, these areas support women leaders in moving from local action to wider policy influence.

Since 2021, WeCaN has generated results across four interconnected areas: policy influence and representation, capacity development, knowledge generation and community building.

Advocacy & Representation

• supporting contributions to the UNCCD COP15 and COP16 civil society and gender statements;
• facilitating women’s participation in UNFCCC COP26, COP27, COP28, COP29 and COP30;
• supporting members participating in national delegations;
• strengthening advocacy approaches adopted by member organizations; and
• validating the WeCaN Advocacy Strategy 2023–2027 through a participatory meeting involving 25 representatives in Rome.

From community learning to climate diplomacy

WeCaN’s strategic vision for 2025–2027 is to consolidate women’s role as influential actors in climate governance and dryland development.

The community will continue to strengthen leadership, policy engagement and South-South cooperation while exploring the responsible use of artificial intelligence and digital technologies to support multilingual knowledge exchange, accessible learning, evidence-based advocacy, policy dialogue and the documentation of women-led innovations.

WeCaN will apply a human-centred and gender-responsive approach to digital innovation. Artificial intelligence will complement, rather than replace, local knowledge, cultural diversity and community leadership.

Advocacy objective

1. Strengthen gender-responsive policy frameworks through evidence generation, policy briefs and multi-stakeholder dialogue.
2. Expand women’s participation and influence in national, regional and international decision-making processes, particularly within the UNCCD and UNFCCC.
3. Scale women’s leadership and innovation by documenting effective practices, strengthening negotiation capacities and promoting coordinated advocacy from local communities to global forums.
4. Leverage responsible artificial intelligence and digital innovation to improve knowledge management, multilingual collaboration, leadership development and inclusive participation, while protecting community knowledge and promoting equitable access to digital tools.

Mutual learning & Capacity development

• more than 80 knowledge-sharing sessions and policy dialogues;
• regional workshops on climate-resilient value chains;
• specialized training on climate negotiations;
• courses on gender mainstreaming throughout the project cycle; and
• continuous leadership support through peer learning.

Knowledge&Policy Tools:

• FAO and UNCCD publications;
• the Listening to Women storytelling series;
• policy briefs on gender-responsive climate governance;
• practical advocacy and gender-analysis tools;
• Women-Led Solutions for Drought Resilience, featuring ten WeCaN good practices; and
• the policy brief Advancing Women’s Leadership in Dryland Regions through the Three Rs: Rights, Representation and Resources.

Community building:

WeCaN has grown from approximately 80 participants at its inception to more than 250 members across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.

Through regular interaction, thematic groups and South-South exchanges, it has developed into a sustained platform for collaboration, mentorship and collective advocacy beyond individual projects and events.