Restore and Protect Forests in Mesoamerica

In Guatemala, EcoLogic is working with The Northern Border Municipalities Alliance (MFN) which is an alli­ance of seven municipalities in the departments of Quiché and Huehuetenango that works to encour­age the protection and sustainable management of natural resources in the region. 

In our August 15, 2013 report, we told you about the Incentives for Small-Scale Agricultural Producers, or PINPEP, Program.  Since then, we have helped connect 73 farmers in San Ma­teo Ixtatán and Santa Cruz Barillas with the federal program, helping them earn a combined $46,466 for their conservation & reforestation efforts.

Together, EcoLogic and MFN are able to provide hands-on support and training through our project’s local technician, Yovany Díaz to clear barriers—ranging from paperwork, to monitoring, to technical agricultural inputs—for farmers interested in enrolling in the program. With your continuing support and this fruitful alliance, we aim to achieve these activities in the remainder of the year:

• Connect 80 more farmers to PINPEP program that can financially support them in producing crops while including trees and sustainable practices on their farms.
• Train 75 community members as forest guardians to protect and monitor the forest’s resources
• Strengthen the MFN’s institutional capacity by providing trainings on fundraising and budgeting
• Facilitate a learning exchange between farmers currently practicing agroforestry and farmers who are interested in taking steps towards agroforestry and sustainable farming