EcoLogic aims to support rural Guatemalan farmers with the adoption of an innovative agroforestry technique that benefits both their families and the environment. Beekeeping can also help build sustainable, resilient livelihoods. With this project, we want to include 100 additional families enabling them to adopt a livelihood alternative to slash-and-burn subsistence agriculture.
Although Guatemala has one of the largest and most diverse forest systems in Central America, it has one of the highest rates of deforestation in Latin America. Rural and indigenous families in Guatemala depend upon forest ecosystems for their livelihoods and survival, often through subsistence agriculture. Persistent poverty leaves many farmers with little choice but to use their land unsustainably.
EcoLogic is implementing a series of interrelated strategies: 1) Pilot plots and learning exchanges ideally farmer-to-farmer; 2) Variety of systems (not "one-size-fits-all"): Based on context, a series of agroforestry strategies can be evaluated and applied--including alley-cropping and beekeeping ; (3) Empowering community producers in proper techniques; and 4) Providing technical assistance and training to link these activities with markets and/or economic incentives for sustainability.
Because agroforestry strategies build rather than deplete forest ecosystems, they have remarkable ecological advantages. The project will help 100 families increase crop yields with fewer chemical inputs and diversify their family diet and income. At the same time, it will reduce pressure on standing forests, thus promoting ecosystem health and biodiversity. It has also provided a source of sustainable fuelwood for farming families through the tree pruning process.
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