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:

With no upfront costs, this innovative financing tool makes energy efficiency affordable to all

From Nate Berg / ENSIA: North Carolina’s Roanoke Electric Cooperative is helping members bring down energy costs. Because the energy costs in this area is due to a lack of energy efficiency, the cooperative offers tariffed on-billing to help homes...

New data shows success of Durham’s guaranteed income program

From Sarah Krueger / WRAL News: Step Up Durham’s Guaranteed Basic Income Program gives 109 people who were formerly incarcerated $600 a month, no questions asked. The purpose of the monthly payments is to help people who may need extra...

Conversation with Andrew Schwartz

Andrew Schwartz is a Senior Advisor at The Common Initiative, working within a collective of experts on biodiversity, climate, human rights, and economic reform. Previously, as Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Center for Earth Ethics, Andrew led efforts to...

The Supermarket Lending Shoppers Money for Groceries

From Katherine Latham / Reasons to Be Cheerful: In the United Kingdom, the supermarket Iceland Foods gives out interest-free microloans on pre-loaded cards during school holidays for families to spread out their grocery bills over time when finances are most...

Conversation with Jack Henderson

Jack Henderson is a digital democracy researcher with RadicalxChange Foundation, the ERC’s BlockchainGov project, and the Coalition Of Automated Legal Applications. He holds a degree in economics from Princeton University. Jack Henderson spoke with Ashley Hopkinson on February 21, 2024....

The Surprising Lives of Germany’s ‘Basic Income’ Raffle Winners

From Marjolein Koster, Ties Gijzel / Reasons to Be Cheerful: A randomly selected group of lucky Germans are reaping the benefits of a guaranteed monthly income. An organization raffles off a year’s worth of guaranteed monthly income, allowing recipients to...