Integrated environmental management with indigenous peoples in Central America

completed

The planned project includes measures to introduce and strengthen culturally adapted, sustainable agriculture and forestry, to protect and preserve natural resources and to strengthen the economic and cultural structures of indigenous and small-scale farming communities in selected regions of Central America with a high degree of biodiversity. As part of an open program, financial aid will be granted for selected support measures, and culturally adapted, productive investments and advisory services will be co-financed in order to strengthen the cultural identity of the indigenous people and small farmers and to improve their productive bases and living conditions. The recipient of the FC funds is the indigenous and small-scale farmers' umbrella organization Asociación Coordinadora Indígena y Campesina de Agroforestería Centroamericana - ACICAFOC, which will implement the project together with the Consejo Indígena de Centroamerica - CICA -, represented by the indigenous NGO Sotzil from Guatemala. CICA-Sotzil will receive additional technical support from the Fondo Indígena at its own request. ACICAFOC and CICA-Sotzil will be supported by an international consulting company to ensure the proper implementation of the project. We estimate the total cost of the project at EUR 8.4 million and the expected duration of four years. The FC contribution amounts to EUR 7.0 million. We estimate the own contribution from ACICAFOC, CICA-Sotzil and their member organizations and users to be a total of EUR 1.4 million.