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FORESTS & LIVELIHOODS

Field testing an approach to support forest-based community businesses in the Caribbean

Title

To field test an approach to support forest-based businesses in the Caribbean

Location          

Dominica, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia, Jamaica and

Trinidad and Tobago

Year               

2013 - 2014

Funded by      

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations.                   

Amount:            

USD 33,000

Project objective

To support at least three community organisations to enhance the operation of existing forest-based businesses through analysis of the economic feasibility of their businesses, support the development of business plans and provide the resources and mentoring to pilot these business models.

Background

In the project "Participatory Forest Management: Improving policy and institutional capacity for development (2006-2010)", funded by the United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) under its National Forest Programme Facility (NFPF), the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) facilitated a number of initiatives geared to improve forest-based livelihoods in the region.  One of the themes of the Action Learning Projects component of the project included developing community forest-based businesses that are sustainable in terms of business operations, livelihood impacts, and forest conservation.  The project found that there are few forest-based community businesses in the region that operate small businesses beyond a subsistence level and few have researched, tested and documented approaches to successfully marketing their product or service.  Businesses need to build capacity in several areas including development and implementation of business or marketing plans, improved business management or marketing skills and improved skills in post harvest management of products. 

CANARI, under its Rural Livelihoods Programme, is currently engaged in a project to help community organisations in four rural communities in Trinidad and Tobago to influence policy and practice to support the development of rural livelihoods based on the sustainable use of natural resources to contribute to poverty reduction and rural development.  This programme pilots a methodology for empowering rural communities to influence policy to develop sustainable livelihoods and the enabling institutional environment that supports those livelihoods.  The methodology includes using mentors to provide targeted support to community businesses with business planning and marketing.

This project will provide support to three community organisations to enhance operation of existing sustainable forest-based businesses and will analyse, document and disseminate best practices and experiences at the Latin America and the Caribbean Commission meeting.

Project Activities:

Activity 1:  Develop criteria for the selection of community organisations that are currently engaged in operating a sustainable forest-based businesses, with input from experts and forest managers in the project countries.

Activity 2: Apply criteria to select three organisations to engage in the project, with input from experts and forest managers in the project countries.

Activity 3: Assist community organisations to submit proposals for projects.

Activity 4: Assess and select proposals and award small grants to the three community organisations.

Activity 5: Monitor project implementation, including assisting with preparation of project reports by the three community organisations.

Activity 6: Document and disseminate lessons learnt

Publications/documents

Related News Releases

• Turning dreams into reality: Supporting community forest-based businesses.

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For more information, contact:         Nicole Leotaud    -   [email protected]