Ecotierra, Coffee, Peru

Conservación Selva Norte (CSN+) is a conservation project developed and man aged by 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 resources to effectively monitor conservation and promote agroforestry-based livelihoods – such as coffee, vanilla, honey, and ecotourism – as alternatives to deforestation-based livelihoods. The conservation efforts generate verified carbon units (VCUs) tied to avoid deforestation, which serve as a key revenue source. 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) provides USD 290,000 in financing to the CSN+ efforts to scale up productive agroforestry activities and establish smallholder cooperatives. The funding will be provided as loans to the participating communities for early-stage implementation costs, including capacity building, livelihood investments, and the setup of community organizations. Repayment will come from the sale of VCUs, which will also serve as the underlying security. By backing diverse agricultural value chains such as coffee, honey, and vanilla, the investment supports sustainable land use, enhances smallholder incomes, and con tributes to global climate mitigation through forest conservation.

SDGs