Why It Matters

Giving back to the land

When we first began work on our land the soil was very poor — rock-hard and with sparse insect or microbial life. Now over 150 plant species thrive, providing food for us, fodder for our horses, habitat for abundant wildlife, foliage for beauty and shade, leaf fall to build soil, and interweaving roots to prevent erosion. Orange and turquoise lizards flash through the undergrowth. Hummingbirds nest in the lower branches of small fruit trees while hawks and eagles perch in the tall palms. The reappearance of apex (or top) predators like large birds signals that the entire food web is sound. There is a whole new sense of balance: predator to prey, insect to microbe, fungi to bacteria. 

Our regenerated land isn't merely a bunch of trees; it's a developing ecosystem that will continue to improve with maturity every day. 

Restoring the Chocó Andino Forest

Our work is particularly crucial here in the Chocó forest where conversion of forest to cattle pasture accounts for roughly 40 percent of degraded land. Cattle pastures are particularly problematic because when the tree canopy is stripped from the land, rain and sun hit the ground at full force. Normally the canopy softens the impact of rain and shades the ground. Exposed to driving tropical rain and hot sun, the soil becomes massively eroded and further compacted from the movement of the cattle. This degraded soil dries and cracks open in the dry season, oxidizing carbon. In the wet season, rains make a muddy slurry that washes away, taking any topsoil and manure into rivers and streams. 

The health of the incredibly biodiverse Ecuador Chocó – and the people who live here – is also gravely threatened by monoculture farming of crops for export and mining activity.

One of our main objectives is to show our neighbors that a diversified farm can provide more nutritious foods for families and communities while also earning income and reducing (or eliminating) input costs.

Replenishing the earth

In addition to providing food, fodder, fiber, fuel, and natural fertilizer, agroforestry can restore, sustain, and enhance the health of an ecosystem (aka provide “ecosystem services”).

Trees, diverse plantings, and soil rich with organic matter are the most effective terrestrial carbon sink on the planet, critical to maintaining a climate suitable for life as we know it.

Rainforests produce about 20% of our oxygen and absorb massive amounts of solar radiation, helping regulate temperatures around the globe. 

Tropical rainforests don't only get a lot of rain; they make the rain. Billions of trees absorb sunlight and carbon dioxide, draw water from the soil, perform photosynthesis, and emit water vapor in a process called evapotranspiration. More than 50% of precipitation in the rainforest is returned to the atmosphere, helping regulate healthy rainfall around the planet.

Better livelihoods for farmers

Soil erosion is a major cause of land degradation and makes land less arable (farm-able) over time. The dense tree and plant cover in an agroforestry system protects soil from erosion by sheltering the ground with the canopy, holding soil with roots, and covering soil with leaf fall. Ground covered with vegetation absorbs, conserves, and creates moisture, lessening the need for irrigation and overall water usage.  

As the system matures, complexity feeds synergistic relationships among plants, soil life, wildlife, and people – drastically reducing or eliminating the need for costly irrigation, fertilizers or pesticides.

Over time, agroforestry systems produce more and cost less, enhancing the livelihood of farmers. 

Nourishing the community

A just and equitable transition of our global food system must include positive social and economic impacts for farmers and local communities.

Over the past six years, we have  come to know many of our neighbors in our rural community and understand why they make land-use decisions that further degrade the land. In short, smallholder farmers don't have many options, and the "choice" between felling trees or clearing land and survival isn't a choice at all.

For all of the food that farmers grow in Ecuador, they are at the mercy of a fluctuating commodities market, price fixing monopolies, and opportunistic middlemen. Without the infrastructure needed to add value to raw goods or access to markets, marginalized farmers struggle to support families on stagnant incomes. With over half of the agricultural land in Ecuador owned by large multinationals, smallholder farmers are among the most vulnerable and poor people in the country.

We can really make a positive difference by opening doors beyond the subsistence trap of the commodities market. We believe that the sum of our experiences serves as a model for many more regenerative transitions. This year, we are very excited to begin the launch a new non-profit initiative called Forest Farmers Global. 

With Forest Farmers Global, we aim to leverage our experience working on the ground as farmers, our knowledge about agroforestry, and our ability to make change in order catalyze a regenerative revolution for the health and prosperity of farmers in tropical forests.