Rain Man: How one Tucson resident harvests the rain

In 1976, the Costa Rican city Hojancha preserved only 2% of its land as forest, and as a result their water supply (the Río Nosara river basin) dried up from the lack of vegetation. Sixteen years into the crisis, two friends conceived and ran an initiative to reforest the land by asking every family in the city to donate ¢1,000 a month until they could buy back the land in full from the ranchers who owned it. Now, the land is thriving again, though the project of regrowing the forest continues still today.

The Yurok Tribe is tackling climate change through the use of a carbon-offset program, sustainable forestry principles, watershed and river recovery methods, and even beaver restoration practices. Over the years, the Indigenous community has worked to restore their territory using sustainable land management initiatives and because of their efforts, they were awarded the Equator Prize from the United Nations Development Programme in 2019.

The Natural Lands Project works with local landowners to turn hundreds of hectares of marginal croplands into native grasslands. The grasses offer refuge for the northern bobwhite quail and grip the soil, which helps prevent erosion and keeps agricultural runoff and sediment out of the Chesapeake Bay. The quail population has grown to 450, a 39% increase from 20 years ago. The project works with landowners to convert small parcels of their land for the habitat. The landowners receive a small payment and help planting and maintaining the native vegetation. Many species have flourished in the new habitat.

An organization funded by the government called Foundation for Ecological Security is leading the charge to reforest wastelands in India to alleviate some of the struggles that rural areas undergo. This creates holding ponds, replenishes soil, and even prompts the community to work together to equitably distribute any leftover water amongst the farmers. It also helps stem the tide of urbanization and addresses the concern that the country may soon run out of food. The group has worked in 13,000 villages across India, reaching about 8 million people, and they still have millions of acres of land to reforest.

In agricultural communities across Kenya, global warming has led local farmers to turn to camels -- as an alternative to cows -- for dairy products both to feed their families and take to the local markets to sell. Furthermore, with an uptick in demand both regionally and nationally for camel milk, farmers are finding themselves with new purchasing power for various goods and services.

In Benin, indigenous beliefs, knowledge, and traditional governance systems are helping communities protect biodiversity and adapt to climate change. Vodun, a spiritual practice that protects fragile and vital ecosystems, has enabled the preservation of more than 1,200 acres of mangroves over the last decade.

Multiple agencies across Ohio's Mohican River Watershed are implementing a coordinated wetland restoration strategy to address the river's declining water quality. Through H2Ohio grant funding, local park districts, land conservancies and state agencies are converting hundreds of acres of former agricultural land back into wetlands. The H2Ohio wetland program has demonstrated measurable success, reducing 41,308 pounds of phosphorus per year in the Western Lake Erie Basin alone as of May 2025.

In Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts, conservationist Mahfuz Ahmed Russel is reviving dying streams by building artificial ponds that harvest rainwater to use in streambeds during dry seasons. Over seven years, aquatic life and vegetation have begun to repopulate and streambeds have remained wet throughout the dry season.

California’s climate-smart agriculture programs—funded via the state's Cap-and-Trade revenues—provide grants enabling farmers to adopt sustainable practices like drip irrigation, soil regeneration, and manure management, significantly reducing water use, greenhouse gases, and economic vulnerability to climate change while boosting long-term farm resilience.

New philanthropic funding models are distributing to Indigenous peoples and local communities in climate and biodiversity hotspots, enabling them to continue traditional practices that greatly benefit the environment. One core principle is the building of strong on-the-ground relationships, then providing “no-strings” grants with little follow-up reporting required.