Projects

East Africa

Terra Nuova has been present in East Africa since 1983, during which time it has identified the main problem areas in the region: public investment primarily targeted at strategic resources such as oil and gas; the radicalisation of the political-religious conflict; an increase in the number of conflicts creating flows of migrants; climate changes that have an impact on the environment and on food security and the resulting conflicts over access to natural resources; an increase in socio-economic exclusion, and increased population flows towards urban areas.
In particular, Terra Nuova has focused its attention on the arid and semi-arid land that represents 70% of the area's surface and 30% of the population. Livestock rearing represents 55% of agricultural production, but resources invested in it are insufficient, as public funds are mainly channelled into oil and gas, which has a marginal positive impact on the local economy.
The areas we are currently working on are: animal health in pasturelands; support for human resources training, the production chain and quality control with food product certificates and support for processing combustible waste.
The approach taken by Terra Nuova in this area is to understand the socio-political and economic context, in cooperation with beneficiaries, and to create a dialogue between traditional knowledge, institutions and scientists to develop ways of applying that knowledge to our projects. By so doing, we can develop methodologies that are effective in finding appropriate solutions to existing problems.

West Africa

Terra Nuova has been present in Mali continuously since the end of the 1980s.
Over 35 years we have done significant and continuing work to support family farming and peasant organisations, which, in the course of time, has contributed to consolidating the CNOP (National Confederation of Peasant Organisations in Mali), as well as to efforts to support local organisations and Economic Interest Groups (EIG) in urban areas working to solve environmental issues. We also participated in facilitating communication via free community radio stations; in saving, conserving and sustainably using the natural resources present in the Niger Delta; and in strengthening traditional medicine and its links to the public health system.
In rural areas, over recent years particular effort has been made to promote micro-dairies (Nioro in the Sahel region), peasant-managed fruit and vegetable markets (shallots in Pays Dogon), as well as supporting the CNOP and other West African peasant organisations, leading to the creation of the ROPPA regional platform (Réseau des Organisations Paysannes et des Producteurs de l'Afrique de l'Ouest). Terra Nuova has worked in close cooperation with ROPPA not only on the ground, but also on international advocacy and lobbying on issues of food security and sovereignty.
Faced with the politico-military crisis in Mali of the last three years, Terra Nuova has been working to mitigate the negative effects of the conflict (that has caused thousands of displaced persons and refugees) and to boost the local economy in the Bandiagara area.

Central America and the Caribbean

The region of Central America historically includes Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica, but for historical and geographical reasons, that definition may be extended to include Panama, Belize and South East Mexico. The inhabitants of the Atlantic coastal regions – those of African descent in particular – have strong links to the populations of the islands of the Caribbean, with whom they share strong cultural references.
The region of Central America is currently moving from a traditional economic model based on the export of agricultural products (bananas, coffee) to one based on low cost manual labour (maquilas) and natural resources (biodiversity, timber, tourism etc). In this new context, many sections of the population continue to live in conditions of poverty or extreme poverty, both in rural and urban areas. These conditions affect practically the entire indigenous population of the region.
Terra Nuova has been present in this region since 1983, primarily in Nicaragua and Guatemala. Over this 20 year period Terra Nuova has based its strategy on support and assistance for social groups such as the women's movement, children, rural smallholders, indigenous groups and  vulnerable groups such as people with diverse sexual identities or those affected by HIV and AIDS. Terra Nuova has worked to promote coordination networks and spaces for organisational or methodological training for social workers and local organisations. Projects have been set up to defend the rights and leadership roles of children, teenagers and young people; to rehabilitate indigenous and ethnic cultures; to protect the rights of indigenous and minority ethnic populations to self-determination, and on sustainable land management. Using a human rights approach as an instrument to analyse society, we are currently working on expanding rights for all.

South America

Terra Nuova has been present in South America since the 1970s, when it began projects in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador and Peru. It is currently running projects in Peru, where it has been present continuously since the mid 1970s and where an office in Lima coordinates operations.
Terra Nuova's projects in South America have been based around three main themes: sustainable resource management, the promotion of rights, and intercultural, bilingual education. Over the last decade, special attention has been given to issues relating to the right to food and adequate nutrition, as well as to social and solidarity-based economic initiatives.
These fields of work, or choices of sector, were defined by the social groups that Terra Nuova works with: indigenous populations, women's movements, rural smallholders and at-risk children and young people. Terra Nuova continues to work with and increase its commitment to these population groups. In the specific case of Peru, one of our main focuses has been to support indigenous Amazonian populations and their organisations. This has created and strengthened alliances with organisations in Italy and Europe that share our values and our approach to development. The second population group we are allied with is that of rural smallholders (indigenous and not), particularly those from the Amazonian region of Peru. We work intensively with their representative bodies at a regional, national and continental level (South America) to have an influence on rural development and family farming policies in Peru.

Italy and Europe

Our activities in Italy and Europe focus on research, analysis and denouncing the structural causes of the inequalities and imbalances created by dominant development models. One of the main areas of Terra Nuova's campaigning work focuses on creating alternatives, alongside social stakeholders and change agents that we work with on projects in the global South and the North. Our activities in awareness-raising, advocacy and political pressure aim to create and disseminate a culture of cooperation and solidarity, with, at its heart, the defence of human rights and the quest for economic and social justice. Development education activities are in part funded by Development Education Programmes in the Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the European Union, but are run in cooperation with Italian NGOs and with those government structures involved in decentralised development, thereby connecting the local level with the global. These activities target political decision-makers, universities, schools, trade unions, peasant organisations and migrant charities.