Associate Expert in Agroforestry

FondeAgro is an agricultural development project which was started in 2001 and is due for completion in 2010. Its main goal is to improve the incomes and livelihoods of peasants and small and medium size farmers and their families in two departments of Nicaragua, Matagalpa and Jinotega.
The FondeAgro approach consists of a combination of long- and short-term technical assistance in a broad range of subject matters, the development of credit services, institutional strenghtening and agribusiness development. One programme component focuses on sustainable forestry.

The forest cover in Nicaragua continues to decrease, mainly due to a steady expansion of agricultural land. The unsustainable use of natural resources causes negative environmental and social effects and threatens the basis of long-term economic growth. An increase in social problems together with continuous degradation of soils in combination with the population increase creates a dangerous cycle of ever more forestland being turning into degraded agricultural land with low productivity that is unable to sustain the population. This situation is aggravated by a lack of capacity in forest management in Nicaragua. Lack of economic incentives, weak forest legislation and insufficient farmer knowledge in sustainable management are partly to blame for this.

Despite these challenges, FondeAgro has identified a range of activities facilitating change. Rural populations in forested and marginal agricultural land are targeted with the promotion of income diversification through sustainable agricultural production, creation of commercial markets for forest products and non timber forest products (NTFP), and a variety of ecosystem services. This steadily refined set of tools offers one sustainable options to overcome rural poverty and at the same time decrease deforestation.

The objectives of FondeAgro’s agroforestry component are to:
1. Strengthen a sustainable forest management in the area where FondeAgro is present.
2. Strengthen the capacity of governmental institutions to promote a sustainable forest management in the area where FondeAgro is present.
3. Strengthen and improve the supply chain of forest products in the area where FoneAgro is present.

The FondeAgro forestry component was supported by a long-term Associate Expert (BBE).