Intro to Community & Sustainable Initiatives Programme: GROW Project

Objectives crees works to: 1. Improve the health and wealth of the local communities 2. Create long-term sustainable incomes that divert away from traditional

slash and burn practices 3. To reduce the impact of deforestation carbon footprints, and pollution in

the growing population 4. Provide environmental education, to children and adults

BIOGARDENS

AGROFORESTRY CARBON

SEQUESTRATION CREDITS

Environmentally

sustainable

incomes and

improved

nutrition

How?

How?

Find beneficiaries

Verify requirements

and sign agreement

Install Biogarden or Agroforestry

plot

Monitor production

and feedback

Biogardens

Biogardens are organic, small scale alotments for local families to grow fruit and vegetables containing essential vitamins and minerals,

that are otherwise bought, or not eaten at all

Plot 6x5m in backyard

Crees provides the seeds and the handywork

The beneficiaries

source bamboo cane for beds

and fence

Source of nutrition and income for the

family

Biogarden stats

• The GROW Project commenced in June 2010 and now has 237 direct beneficiaries of the Biogardens (around 20 % of the population in Salvacion)

• There are 51 families with Biogardens, and 57 Biogardens in total, and 9 have roofs • Many of the Biogardens now sell their produce to neighbours; the highest earner last year

was Ana Cecilio, who sold S/.258.80 ($95.85) of her produce

Average yearly incomes can be as low as $390 per capita in the region.

0.00

50.00

100.00

150.00

200.00

250.00

Average Annual Sales Average Total Income

Per

uvi

an N

uev

o S

ole

s (S

/.)

Figure 4: Biogarden Average Annual Sales Income and Average Annual Effective Income 1st Vs. 2nd Year

Year 1

Year 2

How to YOU help? You will be getting your hands dirty: Maintaining Biogardens Constructing roofs Repairing Roofs Censusing the Biogardens for production and

beneficiary needs. Having fun!

Why roofs?

Roofs provide the plants in the biogardens with much needed protection from heavy rain in the wet season, and too much sun in the dry season

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50.0

100.0

150.0

200.0

250.0

Wet season Dry season

Average Production

Ave

rage

to

tal A

nn

ual

cro

p p

rod

uct

ion

, Kg

Figure 3: Average total annual Biogarden crop production,

Wet Vs. Dry season

Biogarden products

25%

22%

5%

17%

4%

4%

6%

1% 11%

1%

Figure 6: Proportion of Biogarden products grown, Year

2 (May'12- Apr'13)

Radish (Rabanitos)

Cucumber (Pepino)

Tomato (Tomate)

Lettuce (Lechuga)

Green beans(Vainita)

Cabbage (repollos)

Spinach (Espinaca)

Parsley (Perejil)

Biogarden futures

The future for the biogarden project is to establish a market cooperative, where the beneficiaries can sell their excess produce in Salvacion, to the MLC and to surrounding lodges

Agroforestry

• Companion planting banana trees with soft and hardwoods on deforested land

• This enables the farmers to sell the bananas short-term (18 months), soft wood after 15 years and hard wood after 40 years

• Each plot is a hectare of land and is purchased by the beneficiary

• Trees and labour are donated by crees

Agroforestry - Process

• 17 One-Hectare Agroforestry plots • 60+ beneficiaries • 9000 plantains (Bananas) Planted • 4000 trees planted

Species Quantity

Cedros (Hard) 10

Aguanos (Hard) 15

Shiguaguacos (Hard) 13

Copales (Soft) 30

Pashacos (Soft) 122

Platanos 600

Total 790

Agroforestry - Process The model we developed stipulates that each hectare of Agroforestry fits 600 banana plant and 190 trees

Agroforestry – Carbon Offsetting

GROW will use the additional value of carbon sequestration credits to reinvest and provide additional income for the community

The Future for GROW • Improvements in biogardens; new roofs for more

beneficiaries

• Improvements in agroforestry; replacement of dead trees

• Rainforest Alliance Certification

• Forest Stewardship Council Certification