An introduction to the sustainable community development initiatives run by the crees foundation

1. Intro to Community & Sustainable Initiatives
Programme: GROW Project

2. Objectives
crees works to:
1. Improve the health and wealth of the local communities
2. Create long-term sustainable incomes that divert away from traditional
slash and burn practices
3. To reduce the impact of deforestation carbon footprints, and pollution in
the growing population
4. Provide environmental education, to children and adults

3. BIOGARDENS
AGROFORESTRY
CARBON
SEQUESTRATION
CREDITS
Environmentally
sustainable
incomes and
improved
nutrition
How?

4. How?
Find
beneficiaries
Verify
requirements
and sign
agreement
Install
Biogarden or
Agroforestry
plot
Monitor
production
and
feedback

5. Biogardens
Biogardens are organic, small scale alotments
for local families to grow fruit and vegetables
containing essential vitamins and minerals,
that are otherwise bought, or not eaten at all
Plot 6x5m
in backyard
Crees
provides the
seeds and the
handywork
The
beneficiaries
source bamboo
cane for beds
and fence
Source of
nutrition and
income for the
family

6. Biogarden stats
• The GROW Project commenced in June 2010 and now has 237 direct beneficiaries of the
Biogardens (around 20 % of the population in Salvacion)
• There are 51 families with Biogardens, and 57 Biogardens in total, and 9 have roofs
• Many of the Biogardens now sell their produce to neighbours; the highest earner last year
was Ana Cecilio, who sold S/.258.80 ($95.85) of her produce
Average yearly
incomes can be as
low as $390 per
capita in the region.
0.00
50.00
100.00
150.00
200.00
250.00
Average Annual Sales Average Total Income
PeruvianNuevoSoles(S/.)
Figure 4: Biogarden Average Annual Sales Income and Average Annual
Effective Income 1st Vs. 2nd Year
Year 1
Year 2

7. How to YOU help?
You will be getting your hands dirty:
 Maintaining Biogardens
 Constructing roofs
 Repairing Roofs
 Censusing the Biogardens for production and
beneficiary needs.
 Having fun!

8. Why roofs?
Roofs provide the plants in the
biogardens with much needed
protection from heavy rain in the
wet season, and too much sun in
the dry season
0.0
50.0
100.0
150.0
200.0
250.0
Wet season Dry season
Average Production
AveragetotalAnnualcropproduction,Kg
Figure 3: Average total annual Biogarden
crop production,
Wet Vs. Dry season

9. Biogarden products
25%
22%
5%
17%
4%
4%
6%
1%
11%
1%
Figure 6: Proportion of
Biogarden products grown, Year
2 (May'12- Apr'13)
Radish (Rabanitos)
Cucumber (Pepino)
Tomato (Tomate)
Lettuce (Lechuga)
Green beans
(Vainita)
Cabbage (repollos)
Spinach (Espinaca)
Parsley (Perejil)

10. Biogarden futures
The future for the biogarden project is to establish a market
cooperative, where the beneficiaries can sell their excess
produce in Salvacion, to the MLC and to surrounding lodges

11. Agroforestry
• Companion planting banana trees
with soft and hardwoods on
deforested land
• This enables the farmers to sell the
bananas short-term (18 months), soft
wood after 15 years and hard wood
after 40 years
• Each plot is a hectare of land and is
purchased by the beneficiary
• Trees and labour are donated by crees

12. Agroforestry - Process
• 17 One-Hectare Agroforestry plots
• 60+ beneficiaries
• 9000 plantains (Bananas) Planted
• 4000 trees planted
Species Quantity
Cedros (Hard) 10
Aguanos (Hard) 15
Shiguaguacos (Hard) 13
Copales (Soft) 30
Pashacos (Soft) 122
Platanos 600
Total 790

13. Agroforestry - Process
The model we developed stipulates that each hectare of Agroforestry fits
600 banana plant and 190 trees

14. Agroforestry – Carbon Offsetting
GROW will use the additional value of
carbon sequestration credits to reinvest
and provide additional income for the
community

15. The Future for GROW
• Improvements in biogardens; new roofs for more
beneficiaries
• Improvements in agroforestry; replacement of
dead trees
• Rainforest Alliance Certification
• Forest Stewardship Council Certification