Ecotierra, Coffee, Peru

Conservación Selva Norte (CSN+) is a conservation project developed and man­aged by the Canadian impact investor Urapi Sustainable Land Use Fund. CSN+ leads forest conservation initiatives across coffee-growing regions in Peru, work­ing directly with smallholder communities. These initiatives provide communities with the resources needed to effectively monitor conservation activities and promote agro­forestry-based livelihoods, such as coffee, vanilla, honey, and ecotourism, as alterna­tives to deforestation-driven livelihoods. The conservation efforts generate verified carbon units (VCUs) linked to avoided deforestation, which serve as a key source of revenue. Sales of these VCUs are managed by ElevaFinca, a Urapi subsidiary that also markets low-carbon coffee through the Café Selva Norte (CSN) project, creating opportunities for buyers to purchase low-emission coffee or offset supply-chain emissions. 

The Common Fund for Commodities (CFC) provided USD 290,000 in financing to sup­port CSN+ in scaling up productive agrofor­estry activities and establishing smallholder cooperatives. The funding is provided as loans to participating communities for early-stage implementation costs, including capacity building, livelihood investments, and the establishment of community organ­izations. Repayment is expected to come from the sale of VCUs, which also serve as the underlying security for the financing.

By supporting diverse agricultural value chains such as coffee, honey, and vanilla, the investment promotes sustainable land use, enhances smallholder incomes, and contributes to global climate mitigation through forest conservation.

The investment was made with the expec­tation of supporting approximately 2,100 smallholders across 14 communities by introducing sustainable livelihood alterna­tives to deforestation, while improving agricultural practices across approximately 2,100 hectares. It is also expected to create local employment opportunities in areas such as monitoring and techni­cal assistance, particularly in underserved communities lacking access to formal structures and technical expertise. In addi­tion, the project is expected to contribute significantly to climate and biodiversity outcomes by placing approximately 141,000 hectares of forest under conser­vation, avoiding an estimated 230,000 MT of greenhouse gas emissions annually at peak levels, and supporting the preserva­tion of critical ecosystems.

SDGs