"My lifelong passion is helping farmers and communities regenerate and protect vegetation and, as a result, the environment and their income."

Tony Rinaudo is the Principal Natural Resources Advisor, World Vision Australia. He has spent more than four decades reshaping how the world thinks about land, farming, and regeneration. As an agriculturalist and missionary in Niger from 1981 to 1999, he helped drive a quiet revolution in farming practices—contributing to the re‑greening of over six million hectares of land and influencing restoration movements worldwide. For his service to people and planet, the Nigerien government awarded him its highest honour for an expatriate.

Since joining World Vision Australia in 1999, Tony has led land regeneration initiatives across the globe and now serves as Principal Climate Action Advisor. He is internationally recognised for championing Farmer‑Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR), a low‑cost, scalable approach to reforestation that has transformed degraded landscapes. His work has been recognised with the Right Livelihood Award, the Luxembourg Peace Prize, and appointment as a Member of the Order of Australia.