(from the SDM Executive Board)
In 2013, the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), the United Nations University Institute for Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS), and the Ministry of the Environment of Japan (MOEJ) jointly launched the “Satoyama Development Mechanism (SDM)” as a collaborative activity under the framework of IPSI to facilitate further implementation of IPSI activities by providing seed funding to promising project proposals.
The SDM Secretariat announced a call for proposals for the SDM 2018 in May 2018. By the deadline for applications (July 2018), the Secretariat had received a total of 15 applications, of which 13 were deemed eligible for SDM.
The SDM Executive Board meeting was convened in September 2018 where the Board carefully considered the eligible proposals in line with the project screening criteria and prioritisation criteria. Within a set of competent proposals, the following six were selected, which were deemed the most promising for the implementation and promotion of the concept of the Satoyama Initiative.
List of SDM sub-grant recipients selected in 2018
| Applicant | Project type | Country | Project title | Region |
| EPIC (NGO/CBO) | Community/field-based project implementation | Uganda | Establishment of Vetiver Grass Nursery and Hedge Rows for control of Eutrophication in Lake Victoria
|
Africa |
| FPCI (NGO/CBO) | Community/field-based project implementation | Panama | Conservation and management of biodiversity of cultural, spiritual and food sovereignty importance and recovery of indigenous knowledge in the management of their territory | Americas |
| CENDI (NGO/CBO) | Community/field-based project implementation | Vietnam | Community implementation of mixed species restoration for livelihoods and ecological function | Asia |
| SAFE (NGO/CBO) | Community/field-based project implementation | India | Sustainable Intensification of Ecosystem Services for Conservation of Production Agriscape and Biodiversity in Community Conserved Forests of Western Arunachal Pradesh, India | Asia |
| ICRAF (UN/Intergovernmental) | Research | Indonesia | Enhancing Upland Adaptation to Multidimensional Shocks and Stressors for Improving Livelihood and Landscape | Asia |
| AMAF-BENIN (NGO/CBO) | Capacity building / awareness raising | Benin | Strengthening Resilience for Community Conservation of Biodiversity and wet ecosystems in Ouémé Valley | Africa |