Living Landscapes
Living Landscapes fosters collaborative action among individuals, organizations, and initiatives to address the interlinked challenges of rural livelihoods and environmental governance. The organization plays a unique role as a convener, connector, and catalyst, working towards transformative change by centering ecological health, restoring landscapes, and amplifying the voices of rural communities, particularly women and marginalized groups. Its mission is to support thriving landscapes and build resilient local communities through innovation, multi-stakeholder collaboration, and evidence-based approaches.
Theory of Change
Inputs
Collaborative networks spanning communities, civil society, government, private sector, philanthropy, and research
Financial and knowledge investments from leading philanthropic foundations and technical partners
Expert facilitation for stakeholder engagement and evidence synthesis
Technical and digital infrastructure for common goods
Activities
Convening dialogue platforms and collaborative events
Supporting innovation and local solutions for ecological governance
Building and disseminating knowledge products and evidence
Facilitating co-creation and shared learning among partners
Advocating for and enabling responsive governance, gender-equitable programs, and fair market relations
Outputs
Development and dissemination of open-source maps, digital tools, and knowledge resources
Enhanced technical capacity and leadership among local communities and women
Policy and institutional frameworks informed by evidence-based research
Partnerships and collaborative convenings (e.g., Commons Convening) scaling best practices
Outcomes
Thriving, resilient rural landscapes and communities
Durable rural livelihood gains, especially for women and marginalized groups
Greater agency and voice for rural populations
Improved ecological health and climate resilience
More effective, adaptive, and inclusive governance of the commons
Programs
1. Common Ground Initiative
The Common Ground Initiative leverages the ecological commons—community forests, pastures, and water bodies—to address the linked crises of livelihoods, climate, and equity in rural India. It brings together over 20 founding organizations and a growing network (91 partners) to create a system-wide collaborative framework for impact at scale. The initiative focuses on durable livelihood gains, resilience to economic and environmental shocks, and enhanced agency for rural people, especially women.
Network of civil society, government, private sector, and research partners
Funding from philanthropic foundations (e.g., Mulago, Rainmatter, LGT Venture
Philanthropy, Skoll Foundation, Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies, Target Foundation)
Expertise in rural livelihoods, ecology, governance, and systems leadership
Traditional and scientific knowledge systems
Technological tools (digital platforms, maps, data analytics) Local wisdom and inclusive participation systems
Convening multi-stakeholder dialogue platforms
Co-creation and dissemination of public goods (knowledge, digital tools, frameworks)
Collective learning exchanges and evidence generation
Supporting policy advocacy and embedding social-ecological priorities into programs and investments
Building responsive local institutions and supporting distributed leadership
Orchestrating collective action across diverse actors and initiatives
Openly accessible digital and non-digital public goods (maps, analytical tools, platforms, sourcebooks)
Policy briefs and action frameworks integrated into government and civil society programs
Strengthened networks of practice across communities, government, civil society, and business
Multi-day collaborative convenings (e.g., Commons Convening 2024) reaching policymakers and practitioners
Knowledge dissemination and peer learning events (studies, workshops, fellowships, reports)
Ecological restoration and improved health of landscapes and commons
Increased and more resilient rural livelihoods (aiming to benefit 75 million people, half of them women, within 5 years)
Empowerment and agency for rural women and marginalized groups
Enhanced policy coherence for climate, development, and commons management
Stronger community institutions for inclusive self-governance
Systemic shifts toward coordinated, evidence-driven, and equitable rural development
Other Information
Core Values
Collaboration and partnership: Foster system-wide collaborative action with distributed leadership and plurality of approaches.
Equity and inclusion: Amplify rural voices, especially women and marginalized groups, and strive for social justice in livelihoods and environmental governance.
Evidence and innovation: Prioritize evidence-building, adaptive learning, and technological and social innovation.
Ecological health: Place ecological sustainability and restoration of commons at the center of all activities.
Plurality, dialogue, and shared learning: Create spaces and networks for mutual support, adaptation, and collective learning.
Scale
350 million rural people depend on the ecological commons in India; targeted direct impact is to reach 75 million Commoners (at least 37 million women) with durable livelihood improvements and resilience within 5 years.
Network: 91+ partner organizations and 22 initial co-signatories, covering varied landscapes and states.
Events and convenings draw participation from civil society, government, academia, and market actors, aiming for national policy and programmatic impact.
Affected Users
Rural communities across India, with a particular focus on women, tribal populations, marginalized and scheduled castes, and those dependent on community-managed natural resources such as forests, pastures, and water bodies.
Geographical Areas
India, with activity across multiple states and a focus on rural landscapes, commons, and regions with high dependence on natural resources.
Contact Info
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