Resource-rich countries find it pays to pay landholders to protect their land

From Dimitri Selibas / ENSIA: Guatemala’s reforestation programs pay farmers to keep their lands forested instead of clearing them for farming. The annual $380 payment each participant receives for 5 to 10 years comes from the general taxes collected by the government.

Click here to read the full story on ENSIA.

Issue Areas:

Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation, Land Use, Sustainable Farming, Wellbeing Economics

Impact Areas:

Distributed Trust and Power, Environmental Sustainability, Health and Wellness

Actors:

Farmers, Government

Communities Served:

Communities Experiencing Economic Hardship, Farmers

Strategies:

Easing Economic Burdens for Individuals, Reallocating Government / Public Financing, Redefining Land / Land Ownership, Regeneration

Success Factors:

Attacking Root Causes, Eliminating Barriers, Empowering People, Establishing Social Norms, Providing Cash Instead Of Goods/Services, Using Financial Incentives

Geographic Region:

Central America, Latin America and the Caribbean

Countries:

Guatemala

Date:

May 11, 2023

More Resources:

Conversation with Chuck Spong

Chuck Spong is the Executive Director of Love Out Loud, a collaborative organization that connects leaders, volunteers, and resources to align efforts and mobilize communities in their areas of passion and giftedness. Since 2012, Chuck has focused on fostering partnerships...

How Norway Built an Economy That Puts People First

From Isabella Breda / Yes! Magazine: Despite a nationwide months-long coronavirus lockdown in Norway, the economy was able to remain stable due to a “decades-long effort to create an equitable economy” that helped the government to enact a package that...

What Kenya can teach its neighbors — and the US — about improving the lives of the “unbanked”

From Kelsey Piper / Vox: Mobile banking in Kenya has increased economic mobility for families living in poverty. The mobile money system is not connected to bank accounts, making it accessible to the overwhelming majority of Kenyans who don’t have...

Conversation with Sean Watson

Sean is the Chief Executive Officer of the Mountain Hazelnut Venture Private Limited in Bhutan. With innovative financing, Mountain Hazelnuts partners and innovates with smallholder farming households and community groups throughout Bhutan to generate long-term income, revitalize vulnerable communities, and...

Nehemiah: Making the American Dream possible for first-time homeowners

From CBS News: The Nehemiah project began in the 1980s building privately-owned homes on land that nobody wanted in East Brooklyn and sold the homes at prices that were affordable to working class families. Church and community organizers mobilized local...

What one county agency is doing to keep its employees whole

From Cheryl Splain / Knox Pages: The Knox County Department of Job & Family Services has implemented a two-pronged approach to improve the wellbeing of employees. One addresses immediate needs through counseling and additional employee benefits and then a longer...