Costa Rica

Informing the Operationalization of Costa Rica’s Agenda Agroambiental

Aerial view of coffee fields in Costa Rica

Program Summary

This PROGREEN activity will strengthen the enabling conditions to scale-up low-carbon measures, sustainable food production and forest conservation in coffee and livestock landscapes and value chains.

Challenge

Costa Rica is globally recognized for its important achievements in the rehabilitation and conservation of forest ecosystems and for its high value, export-oriented agriculture (i.e. coffee, palm oil, pineapples, and bananas). Costa Rica’s achievements in forest restoration  and  conservation  has  augmented competition for agricultural land and resulted in a shift to produce high-value agriculture products and better  use  of  grazing  pastures.  This  shift  has  implications  for  more  than  87,000  farmers and exports worth more than USD 314 million and emissions. The dynamic, however, makes it difficult for poorer farmers to compete, due to their low productivity, lack of knowledge, resources, infrastructure, and limited integration into supply chains. 

Approach

This activity will strengthen the enabling conditions to scale-up low-carbon measures, sustainable food production and forest conservation in coffee and livestock landscapes and value chains. Costa Rica’s achievements in forest restoration and conservation has augmented competition for agricultural land and resulted in a shift to produce high-value agriculture products and better  use  of  grazing  pastures.  This  shift  has  implications  for  more  than  87,000  farmer, and exports worth more than USD 314 million (in 2017/2018), and emissions The dynamic, however, makes it difficult for poorer farmers to compete, due to their low productivity, lack of knowledge, resources, infrastructure, and limited integration into supply chains.

[Expected] Results

  • Identification of measures under the mandate of Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) and Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE)  that could help improve productivity of agricultural practices in a climate-smart and low-carbon manner and, if possible, lower the footprint of agro-processing.
  • Identification of options for using GIS and other existing spatial analytics tools to improve the monitoring of nature-based solutions used in productive landscapes that contribute to ecosystem services.
  • Identification of fiscal measures to promote adoption of low-carbon and ecosystem-friendly practices in the agriculture sector.

Links

Feature Story: How Costa Rica is Investing in a Landscape Approach to Build a Sustainable Future