An Overview Of Our Solution
Abstract (875 characters max):
In order to respond to the adverse effects of climate change and protect ecosystems at risk in the Biosphere Reserve whose inhabitants live in extreme poverty, lack opportunities, and face low productivity rates, we have established an intervention model that promotes participatory conservation, forest an soil regeneration, food self-sufficiency, and development of capacities and mechanisms that enable payment for ecosystem services. We developed a legislative framework to ensure that participants’ management methods comply with the rules and that they receive payments, hence generating income for the forest owners and farmers, and conserving natural resources.
Who is this solution impacting?
Community Type
Rural
Additional Information
- Population Impacted:
- Continent: North America
General Information
Organization type
Nonprofit
Ecosystem (select all that apply)
Forests
Grasslands
Population impacted
1,800 direct participants
Challenge
Size of agricultural area
63400 hectares
Production quantity
-
People employed
280 people
Solution
Describe your solution
Concerned with the use of agrochemicals, soil erosion, low productivity rates, obsolete and high impact traditional farming practices, and local people’s reluctance to change, we use our Centro Tierra and our connections with experienced teachers to promote and teach the use of regeneration practices, biological control, bio-fertilizers, Key-line hydrological design, re-mineralization, reintroduction of microbiology and planned grazing. As strategic allies of the Savory Institute we apply its method and serve as a holistic management teaching center promoting nation-wide replication. Whit 13 years of experience in applying regenerative practices, we now work in seven Mexican states with farmers, civil society organizations, and institutions at the state and national level. We pass on our knowledge, organize educational events and national forums, train holistic management educators, provide continuous technical assistance, and promote regenerative tools and the creation of financing mechanisms at the subnational level to equip ranches. Finally, we create social capital and networks of farmers, enabling them to share their experience and providing them with the sense of belonging to a cause that is not only increasing their productivity, but also mitigating climate change.
Implementation
Describe your implementation
The project that we will develop and implement will improve food self-sufficiency and adaptation to climate change and its mitigation. They will also minimize technological dependency and jump-start conservation economy. As a result of 30 year’s work that we have invested, the beneficiaries in the Sierra Gorda are now nature’s allies. Because of them, our dedicated work, and established models, we can now count with new partners from other Mexican states. We build bridges between the civil society and the three levels of government, push for action, build legislative frameworks, and establish international alliances with the well-known experts to reach our goals. Key factors for our success include our 30-year constant presence in the region, active involvement of the local society that we belong to. These long-term processes, our interaction with multiple actors in the public and private sector, our ability to simplify and establish protocols, as well as our creativity and ability to materialize our ideas. We have overcome various obstacles including society’s inertia and indifference to the environment that surrounds them, complicated bureaucratic processes, public policies that harm the environment, complex international protocols and guidelines that have delayed real and effective action against climate change, and the ever increasing pressure on biodiversity. Another example of how we have solved seemingly impossible problems was the development of the Biodiverse Carbon program and local protocols that allow us to conserve biodiversity and combat climate change and poverty. This protocol server as a reference-point for the Government of the State of Queretaro when adopting our proposal. As a result, the government is now successfully operating the State Carbon Offset Mechanism, a sub-national model and milestone that can be replicated in other Mexican states.
External connections
We established a strategic alliance with the Council of the PRODUCE Foundations that is training its staff in seven regions across the country where it operates, focusing on regenerative techniques and financing tools. The objective is to promote the establishment of state-level compensation funds through the implementation of small carbon taxes that will provide small farmers all over Mexico with payments, hence creating conditions that will allow land-use change. Ministry of Agriculture (SAGARPA)’s Directorate of Agricultural Development and Productive Innovation is interested in supporting the program by providing pilot ranches with equipment, enabling them to carry out the sub-soiling necessary for the establishment of the Key-line hydrological design, a tool used to capture water. Our strategic partner, the Savory Institute is allowing us to operate a holistic management training center, providing its diploma for technical educators that complete the course. This course is the main tool for our education project. We created a network of cattle ranchers from four states that own 25 Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMA) pilot ranches and together place 62,757 hectares under regenerative management. Together with their livestock and diligent soil management they will determine the success of the proposed program.
Results
What is the environmental or ecological challenge you are targeting with your solution?
Migration to the USA is currently the main motor pushing the regional economy. The region is characterized for its unsustainable farming practices, provoked fires, clandestine logging, natural capital without economic value, and lack for environmental awareness. Furthermore, public policies and officials that don’t comply with sustainability criteria jeopardize accomplishment of the conservation objectives. So do lack of authority presence, lack of innovation, and poor community organization and productive and management skills. Furthermore, adverse climate changes effects, including erratic rainy season and warmer winters, as well as irresponsible public works that severely impact natural resources both compromise the area’s biodiversity. Our objective is to create new opportunities for social and economic development, provide continuous training and financial management to strengthen beneficiaries, and promote public policies and initiatives that aim to regenerate natural resources.
Describe the context in which you are operating
We respond to climate change by strengthening ecosystem resilience on 383,567 hectares that form the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve. We are also creating economic opportunities for 100,000 inhabitants in 638 impoverished communities that own biodiversity-rich forests. We stand for participatory conservation and have created an economic model that focuses on nature-based solutions. We involve 11,800 participants, 790 young environmental leaders, 525 teachers, 350 beneficiaries, 48 holistic management trainers, 36 training workshops, 25 pilot cattle ranches that apply regenerative management techniques, 83 strong-standing community tourism micro-enterprises, 130 established gardens and 73 organic maize plots, and income of 45 million pesos in the hands of beneficiaries. Moreover, we employ carbon-offset payments on 16,000 hectares and payment for hydrological catch on 20,000 hectares, equip cattle ranches and gardens, and facilitate development of chicken coops and apiaries, as well as production of pine nut, oregano and avocado.
How did you impact natural resource use and greenhouse gas emissions?
The Sierra Gorda’s eco-diversity stands out as one of the world’s top 10 in Mexico recognized for its mega-biodiversity. Biodiversity conservation is therefore a focal point of all our activities. Community environmental education and management of 11 private natural reserves that together cover almost 6,000 hectares and protect temperate, cloud, and tropical forests are just two of the examples. Furthermore, our continuous efforts to apply payments for ecosystem services in forests owned by locals resulted in protection of almost 48,000 hectares of forests. Compensation reduces forest fragmentation by diminishing the traditional activities’ pressure, protects populations of jaguars and pumas, as well as new species of endemic flora, and enables establishment of the biological corridors that link the core areas of the Reserve and its species. Conservation of these ecosystems assures important environmental services that benefit 100,000 residents, as well as the rest of the world.
Language(s)
Spanish
Water
Mexico has a quickly growing population and faces a serious water deficit, since the majority of its surface is located in the arid zone. Furthermore, the exploitation of tis groundwater has far surpassed the recharge rate. Therefore, by regenerating soils our program aims to capture and sequester carbon and water. This will positively affect provision of food and self-sufficiency.
Food Security/Nutrition
Our program that promotes soil regeneration and application of holistic management implies food production. Providing farmers with training and technical advice regarding the application of best practices, we will contribute to increasing quantity and quality of their produce. Furthermore, we will contribute to strengthening food self-sufficiency and improving the health of soils, consumers, and producers. It is a program whose knowledge is already being replicated in other areas of Mexico.
Economic/Sustainable Development
Increasing production while at the same time decreasing costs by avoiding toxic technological dependencies and encouraging local consumption, which reduces costs that arise due to transport and strengthens local economies, have immediate effects. Payments for ecosystem services represent a foundation of conservation economy.
Climate
By registering the only green NAMA in Mexico entitled ‘Carbon Credits with the Local Protocols Based on Forest Restoration and Holistic Agricultural Management’ the Federal Government put in motion a solid strategy for climate change mitigation, quantifying and monitoring amounts of stored carbon and developing and applying compensation mechanism. The application of this strategy in other states demonstrates its potential.
Sustainability
A program this large manages resources from private foundations and subsidies. Furthermore, generating carbon credits will enable us to obtain sufficient sources of financing for the replication of our action throughout Mexico in the future. We have assured national-level allies for the following three years, as well as state-level allies for the following five more years (with the current government of Queretaro). We are developing a 10-year business plan where prior strengthening of 50 pilot ranches across the country will assure that carbon credits will be a tangible return for investors, having social and environmental impact.
Return on investment
Since 2007 we have been managing a System of Social Return in Investment (SROI). As part of it, we monitor the impact of our activities that currently yield a return of US$32.00 for each dollar spent. This number demonstrates our capacity for inter-institutional coordination. Furthermore, we multiply the return on investment with the expansion to other states. In 2016 we managed an annual budget of approximately US$780,000 or 14 million pesos (applying an approximate exchange rate of MXN $21.00 = $US$1.00). We spend only 5% on administration costs.
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Replication and Scale
How could we successfully replicate this solution elsewhere?
Facing climate emergency, we are committed to raising awareness, involving various regional, state, and national institutions, and promoting best practices and regenerative tools to farmers, technicians, officials, and legislators. Moreover, we aim to increase national resilience and generate information to guide policies and subsidies that will foster, rather than hinder the application of these practices. We believe that economic valuation of natural capital is the key to engage local owners that live extreme poverty, making them recognize nature as an infrastructure that provides life-depending services for which they can receive compensation. We want to spread our program to other Mexican states, strengthening community participation, establishing pilot ranches and local groups of promoters through training and technical assistance, hence shortening the learning curve.