General

WHH has teamed up with a private sector partner to implement a responsible model for large-scale agri-investments in land which benefits smallholders, rural host communities, land owners and investors alike. The model is called the Cocoa Production Cluster (CPC). A CPC is a plantation of 100 hectares which consists of several adjacent management units of at least 10 hectares. Typically, a CPC is established on private land which has been leased for 30 years. In contrary to other large-scale lease arrangements the lease is acquired in a fair, non-discriminatory, transparent, and inclusive process. The company will sell the cocoa produced on the CPC to international buyers and share the revenue with farmers and land owners. This model has clear advantages for all stakeholders: The company secures its supply of cocoa, the land owners get a fair share of the generated revenue on top of their lease, and the farmers obtain land tenure rights while earning a fair income from their cocoa.

Objectives

The adoption of the CPC-model's core economic, social and environmental (governance) standards by investors, communities, government and other stakeholders results in a more inclusive growth of the agri-business sector, reduced poverty and fewer land-use conflicts in Sierra Leone.

Target Groups

The SPIRAL-Project reaches between 600 and 900 direct Beneficiaries. These Beneficiaries are selected community members who are being supported in securing long-term tenure rights to a cocoa production area (the Small-Scale Farming Division or “SSFD”) and benefit from the implementation of an innovative agricultural investment-model in land (the Cocoa Production Cluster or “CPC”) which provides work and income.

General

The impacts of climate change threaten the livelihoods of Mexican small farmers. Therefore the project promotes adaptation, restoration and conservation of rural landscapes to increase their resilience and to ensure food security and local income. It helps small farmers in the states of Campeche, Tabasco, Chiapas, Jalisco, Michoacan, Oaxaca, Puebla, Hidalgo and Tlaxcala to adapt and to increase their production. Ecosystem-based adaptation strategies include sustainable production and integrated land use planning approaches that equally take into account food, forest, biodiversity and climate change. Innovative finance mechanisms support this process. The project also promotes land use management policies at national and sub-national level to help Mexico to achieve its goals in the areas of SDGs, NDCs and biodiversity.

General

The Engaging Local Communities in REDD+/ Enhancement of Carbon Stocks (ELCIR+) project forms part of the Ghana Investment Plan for the Forest Investment Program. The investment plan is expected to be co-financed through basket funding with the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation (IFC). Estimated at 2.0%, Ghana’s annual deforestation rate is alarming, with (i) agricultural expansion, especially cocoa cultivation (50%) and (ii) wood harvesting (35%) considered as the main drivers. This shift has resulted in significant loss of forest cover and a decline in carbon stocks. The limited alternative livelihoods opportunities are also a challenge for the community. Therefore, the project aims to mobilize and invest funds to reduce deforestation and forest degradation and also financially benefit local communities. This will pilot a jurisdictional approach to REDD+ at the regional level focusing on the Western and Brong Ahafo regions. The Bank financed portion supports: (i) restoration of degraded agricultural landscapes, (ii) climate smart agriculture, (iii) livelihoods improvement and, (iv) capacity building. The project will be implemented over 5 years (2014 – 2018) with a total cost of US $ 15.826 million.

Objectives

The Project development objective is to contribute to the increase of carbon stocks, and poverty reduction in the off-reserve areas of the High Forest Zones, by engaging communities in land management approaches that generate direct financial and environmental benefits.

Target Groups

Project interventions will target 14 districts in the Western Region and 24 districts in Brong Ahafo Region. Project’s direct beneficiaries are estimated to be 12, 000 people, with women representing about half of the targeted population. Furthermore, the project is expected to indirectly benefit 175,000 people (5% of the population of the two regions). Direct beneficiaries will be supported with capacity building, inputs (e.g. seeds), equipment, and financial incentives through benefit-sharing agreements, to develop forestry, agroforestry and alternate livelihoods activities.