Local Café in China: Unlocking a Sustainable Future for Jingmai Mountain through Theory of Change

As part of the 2025 UNESCO World Heritage Volunteers initiative in Jingmai Mountain, YPARD China organized a hybrid Local Café on the Theory of Change (ToC), bringing together on-site volunteers in Yunnan and partners joining online.

A Unique Setting

Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2023, Jingmai Mountain is home to the world’s oldest cultivated tea forests and the Blang ethnic community, whose cultural traditions are deeply rooted in tea cultivation. This rich cultural and ecological landscape provided the backdrop for the Café, where youth explored how heritage and biodiversity preservation can align with sustainable development.

Learning through Participation

Through interactive group work and role-playing exercises, participants co-designed ToC frameworks that mapped the pathway from inputs and activities to outputs, outcomes, and long-term impacts—anchored in the local tea-based economy.

Key discussions emphasized how:

• Tourism and cultural identity can enhance visibility and pride.
• Innovative tea packaging can boost market opportunities.
• These actions generate immediate benefits while supporting youth empowerment, cultural preservation, rural development, and economic resilience.

Looking Ahead

YPARD China will continue to create collaborative spaces like this Café, inspiring and equipping young professionals to co-create solutions for resilient and inclusive agri-food systems while safeguarding cultural and ecological heritage.

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