Mechanism for repeated/cyclical competitions for the financing of local projects

History and structure of the organization

Source of funds: debt swap, environmental offsets, other donations

Governance with cross-sectoral/civil society participation

Investment programming oriented in PREP and concretized or PDLS

The shade-grown yerba mate model generates profitable economic income from the added value of recovering forests while maintaining traditional organic customs and practices around yerba mate. Ancestral Guarani techniques are combined with modern low-impact agroecological management techniques for yerba mate production. The market for organic yerba mate continues to grow annually as a nutritious foodstuff and international markets are in high demand.

Quantifiable outcomes for the participants. We trained 74 locals (naturalist guides, farmers, and fishermen) in research skills, field experience, laboratory (molecular work), and sequencing (DNA) tools.

The number of species sampled. To date, we have produced over 10,000 of DNA sequences from soil and water samples to be analyzed, all produced on the Galapagos by local trainees.

Field trips and samples collected: In total, 15 field seasons were performed on three islands where locals learn field techniques and data collection. We have already collected over 200 samples of soil (microbiome research) and 10 of water (metabarcoding).

-Use non-invasive 21st century genetic barcoding techniques to catalog the biodiversity of the main Galapagos Islands and surrounding marine reserve, from microbial to mammal;

-Train locals in key field, lab and curatorial techniques, and employ them to undertake the project, which can also open new job opportunities in the future

The production of yerba mate under shade is a model in which yerba mate - Ilex paraguariensis - is grown in degraded or totally deforested areas of the Atlantic Forest, during the production cycle it is enriched with other native tree species to generate shade and the ground cover is preserved with biomass, it is replicable in the Atlantic Forest region.Indigenous Mbya Guaraní communities have ancestrally managed yerba mate without greatly disturbing the forest, and this model combines ancestral techniques with modern agroecology.

Silvocafe is a restoration technique that seeks to make wood production viable in coffee plantations, through the incorporation and management of a density of trees -AVC- as "shade trees". The steps to execute it are:

1. Extraction of mature trees: with a census and georeferencing of trees with DBH>10 cm, an extraction is carried out using the following criteria: frequency per hectare, phytosanitary condition, tree shape, density by species of interest and distribution.
2. Replant damaged coffee plants and incorporate HCV trees: each extracted tree affects approximately 20 coffee plants, that is, 500 to 700 plants/ha, which means a replanting of plants/ha of 10%-15% after each intervention.
3. Establish an adequate shade density of trees of high commercial value: this requires a stock of between 40 to 60 HCV trees/ha; with a recommended spacing of 12x14 m.
4. Plan thinning for shade improvement: Higher shade density (50-70% cover, 50-30% light) is justified when the crop site has high ambient and soil temperatures, low ambient and soil relative humidity, greater exposure to sunlight, poor soil fertility and low altitude above sea level.

The objective of this building block is to provide financing, either public (through payment for environmental services programs, forestry incentives, non-reimbursable cooperation projects) or private (commercial bank and second-tier bank loans), to livestock producers who carry out good practices and promote restoration.

In this case, the cooperative had proven experience in placing loans for housing solutions, productive loans and had accreditations that allowed it to function as a second-tier bank with a mobilization of USD $210,400.00 in agricultural loans; in addition, it had the FONAFIFO environmental services payment program where 13,635 trees were subjected to incentives under modalities of protection of springs and agroforestry systems.

Char is carbonized organic matter that is produced by pyrolysis.

Biochar is char used for biotechnology, such as in agriculture.

Charcoal is char used as fuel.

Biochar has some important properties:

1. Resistance against biological and chemical decomposition, so it lasts in soil for centuries and can be used to store atmospheric carbon.
2. A high surface area
3. Negatively charged surfaces and some positive charges with can hold soluble plant nutients such as nitrogen and potassium and other minerals.

In Bangladesh, the soils are often low in soil organic matter, because the warm-humid climate and agricultural tillage promote organic matter breakdown.   Soil that are low in organic matter become hard and open pore space.  Crop growth can be severely limited.

Given the excellent climate from growing crops, improving the organic matter in Bangladeshi soils can have profound results.  Biochar can do this because it doesn't break down.  Instead, it combines with manures, composts and soil organic matter to from new, stable humus.

By increasing soil organic matter there is:

1. An increase in soil crumbs and large pore space
2. Increased aeration
3. Increased water penetration
4. Increased plant-available water
5. Increased soil life
6. Increase root growth and crop yield.

The objective of this building block is to provide continuity to the good practices implemented by livestock producers by incorporating them into value chains that value products from sustainable sources.

This can be achieved through the analysis of value chains that are linked to the sector in which the producer operates. In this case, a dairy value chain was linked, since this is where the greatest added value can be obtained for both the livestock producer and the Coopepuriscal R.L. Cooperative.

Another important aspect is to determine where the producer is in the chain (micro, meso or macro) and what type of activity he/she carries out (primary or support). In this case, the producer is at the micro level with a primary activity (delivering raw materials without much value added).