A women-led farmers collective from Karnataka has been named among the ten global winners of the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) Equator Prize 2025, one of the world’s most prestigious community awards for protecting nature and tackling climate change.
Announced on the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, the award recognises Indigenous peoples and local communities using nature-based solutions to improve livelihoods, safeguard biodiversity, and strengthen climate resilience. This year’s theme, Nature on Climate Action, highlighted projects led by women and young people.
India’s winner, Bibifathima Swa Sahaya Sangha SHG, works across 30 villages in Karnataka, supporting over 5,000 farmers. The group promotes millet cultivation through mixed cropping, conserves traditional seeds, and runs solar-powered processing machines. By blending traditional farming wisdom with modern sustainable practices, it has helped restore biodiversity, enhance food security, and create local jobs for women and youth.
The Equator Prize, awarded every two years since 2002, has honoured more than 300 community-led projects in 84 countries, from forest protectors in Nepal to coral reef defenders in Papua New Guinea. This year’s winners, selected from over 700 nominations in 103 countries, include initiatives from Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Indonesia, Kenya, Papua New Guinea, Peru, and Tanzania.
Each winning group will receive $10,000 and be celebrated in an online ceremony later this year. They will also participate in major global events, including the UN General Assembly and COP30 in Brazil, spotlighting grassroots leadership in climate action.