Restore and Protect Forests in Mesoamerica

In July, I had the opportunity to interview Domingo Martín Domingo Sebastián, a Forest Technician for the Municipality of San Sebastián Coatán in northern Guatemala.

“I am a Forestry Technician of the Municipality of San Sebastián Coatán, which is part of the Mancomunidad Frontera del Norte. I joined the MFN about 3 years ago.’’ Mancomunidad Frontera del Norte (MFN) is an alliance of 6 municipalities in the departments of Quiché and Huehuetenango that works to encourage the protection and sustainable management of natural resources in the region.

In Guatemala, the National Forest Institute’s (INAB) has instituted a Program of Incentives for Small-Scale Agricultural Producers (PINPEP). PINPEP is now part of a national program known as PROBOSQUE, a comprehensive effort to stimulate sustainable rural development. PINPEP provides financial incentives to Guatemalans with less than 15 hectares of land who plant trees or sustainably manage forests. However, one challenge to be able to qualify for these incentives is access to the tools and know-how necessary to fulfill the basic technical requirements—which can be tedious and complex.

In this region, via our partnership with MFN and our field technicians, EcoLogic has assisted farmers in learning how to access and enroll in the incentives programs that aim to increase adoption of sustainable agriculture, reforestation, and improved forest management. Having witnessed the success of EcoLogic’s efforts to connect farmers with incentives programs, municipal forest technicians involved with MFN have expressed interest in learning from our field technicians.

Domingo is part of the first group we are working to train, increasing the potential for impact in this region. As Domingo notes, “‘A few months ago, with support from EcoLogic we began learning how to take several measurements especially in the georeferencing of areas for forest plantations. Through these visits to the field, I have been acquiring good experience in the management and use of GPS and the tree planting distances that meet INAB’s requirements.’’

Our training process is very practical and emphasizes getting plenty of hands-on experience. As Domingo shared, “During the first training sessions, I learned how to use a GPS device, for the georeferencing of forest areas, but then we got to do practices and field visits. I have been learning many more things. The next step will be learning how to develop the management plans.’’

Domingo says the training is very significant because “it is a process of getting to know new ways of working, especially about the generation of PINPEP projects. Both at the municipal level and at the individual level, since this can help people economically as well as environmentally. And promoting this approach helps us to continue conserving natural resources.”

From 2013-2017, I have worked with my fellow field technicians to support farmers in Huehuetenango in the conservation of 622 hectares of forest through the development of 299 management plans/projects. Participating landowners will receive a shared total of $255,641—for many farmers, this payment will double their annual income. I am excited to see how much more we can do with this increased capacity! I will keep you posted. Thank you for your support.

Rural and indigenous families in Guatemala depend upon forest ecosystems for their livelihoods and survival, often through subsistence agriculture. Farmers living in persistent poverty often have no choice but to adopt an immediate-term perspective resulting in the unsustainable use of natural resources, evidenced by the longstanding tradition of slash-and-burn agriculture. Using this approach, land can only be used for 2-3 years before the soil’s nutrients are depleted, requiring farmers to move to new land and cut down additional forest.

In response to farmer priorities and demand, EcoLogic field technicians have been successful in increasing interest in and uptake of agroforestry, which is a sustainable practice of growing food crops alongside trees and under the shade of trees. This approach facilitates improved community wellbeing—by enhancing food security and providing an alternative source of income—while advancing conservation objectives. The availability of alternative livelihood options that are offered through agroforestry and beekeeping programs can help incentivize the adoption of sustainable practices.

In 2017 we:

• Produced 213,175 trees in community-managed nurseries
• Reforested and assisted in the natural regeneration of 284 additional acres of previously degraded land
• Established 78 acres of agroforestry parcels with 64 new farmers switching from slash-and-burn to more sustainable and climate-friendly agriculture
• Trained over 1,000 community members in topics such as effective forest management, watershed management, sustainable agriculture, and reforestation
• Worked with farmers to develop 37 new land management plans, one of the official documents required to register land under Guatemala’s Program of Incentives for Small-Scale Agricultural Producers (PINPEP) and qualify for incentives payments. Participating farmers received a shared total of $266,000.
• Worked with beekeepers to manage 291 beehives that produced 21,000 lbs of honey allowing them to generate $17,000 in income

With your help, we are working to replicate and expand these efforts in 2018!

Links:

• Angelica's agroforestry parcel
• Honey harvest and extraction