Promoving sustainable development in natural protected areas buffer zone by AIDER team

Dear Judges, as AIDER team we give response to your comments (we have updated our project description, also).

In other parts of the world, the widespread introduction of cocoa as a cash crop has driven expansion of the agricultural frontier. Please explain why the project proponent believes this would not occur in this case

This proposal, which differs from the migratory agricultural development scheme - where space is opened in the forest to create farmland - promotes the implementation of agroforestry systems with cocoa in previously deforested areas, which are like that as a product of extensive agricultural and livestock farming (pasture, young secondary forest), that was driven by the Peruvian State during the 80's, and has left several unproductive land by the pressure use there was on soils on Madre de Dios region.

This initiative includes a comprehensive farm management (including temporary crops for food security of families, promotion of tourism, fish farms, conservation of watersheds, among others), and a conservation agreement where farmers commit themselves to conserve existing forests in the areas of their land. The idea is that farmers manage their farms through productive agroforestry systems and do not have the need to increase their agricultural areas, therefore, they install cocoa crops in areas that have been deforested before and were useless for them, or are secondary land under 5 years. Also, the cooperative promotes conservation of forest areas within the premises of its partners.

Also, it is unclear why/whether ranchers would want to become cacao farmers. Please elaborate

In the 80s decade, in Madre de Dios region, there was an aggressive promotion by the Peruvian State, for rural lands (primarily forests) to change their use to the livestock expansion. Many landowners opened their propeties (areas of forest) for this activity, but quickly the ground pressure returned unproductive land and livestock did not prosper in time, so it was left as an activity for human consumption, in most of the cases.

Currently, livestock still exists in the region, but profitability is very low and there are few people who are engaged in it. Many of the areas that were opened for livestock have no use today and its owners are seeking alternatives that allow them to generate profits and recover the soil, which is very impoverished and unproductive, but can be recovered.

Many farmers recognize that hey eliminated much of its forest for cattle ranches and now they find it harder to get the resources that forest provided them as fruits, firewood, shade, etc. and they consider that they do not properly managed their area, so they are interested in activities that generate economic benefits and allow them to recover the forest, as it was more useful to them in their natural state. The installation of agroforestry systems is presented as the best alternative, because it ensures food security, incomes in the short (banana, pigeon pea, cassava) medium (cacao and guava) and long term (wood), without degrading the forest.

It would be helpful to understand more about what Althelia is providing and what they are getting back. Otherwise, it is difficult to assess the replicability of this project.

Althelia finances the implementation of agroforestry systems with cocoa in the buffer zone of the Tambopata National Reserve (the Project) and the components of biological monitoring and research of the Partial Administration Agreement that AIDER has with the Peruvian government (for the Tambopata National Reserve and Bahuaja Sonene National Park). AIDER has a REDD+ project in these reserves and its main objective is to avoid deforestation. Althelia has, as a guarantee, the VCUs generated by avoided deforestation and, about the project (Agroforestry with cocoa) receives an amount of return for is investment, product of the cocoa marketing  through the cooperative.