Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations- FAO
Payments for Environmental Services (PES) from Agricultural Landscapes
Pro-poor PES
Institutions
A way often used to reduce individual costs of accessing and participating in the programme (see section on Pro-poor PES programme rules) is to work in groups. However, poorer farmers are usually dispersed and unorganized so this may represent a very high cost on its own.
PES schemes must have consistent local representation to work with smaller farmers and improve their information about the scheme. This is to avoid misunderstandings on the farmers' side that lead to fear of loss of rights over their land and to support them in the application process and adoption of the required land use/management commitments (see box 4.3 ). An added concern, when aiming to involve small and dispersed farmers, is to make sure these are given the means to be included in the negotiation of the programme rules (from adapting the type of information given to them, to facilitating transportation to meetings, etc). Most PES schemes involving the poor include NGO/community organizations already active in the area well before the PES programme started. Building on pre-existing community natural resource management projects is likely to be an important way of moving forward pro-poor PES programmes.
Rural extension offices can provide crucial support (see box 4.3). They may be local government offices, NGOs or representations of the intermediary and main facilitators. In some cases, these local agencies act as real sub-intermediaries, getting the application procedures done and supporting the participant in fulfilling his responsibilities. However, in most cases this also has a cost that may be too high for poorer landowners. Often NGOs take over this role due to social concerns or conservation goals, but in cases where none of these are present, it is important to highlight the need for specific funding for this particular and very important role. It is usually possible to tap government funds or international donors for this purpose and even the direct users may be interested in sponsoring this component, as a bundled ethical and environmental investment.
Box 4.3 The important support role of rural extension technical advisors, in the Costa Rican National PES programme(32)
As part of the Costa Rican National PSA programme, local advisors and facilitators play a major role. They provide support through the entire process, working closely with the landowners and collaborating with FONAFIFO, the national “Wholesale” manager.
The Foundation of the Development of the Central Volcanic Cordillera (FUNDECOR) is one of such facilitators. FUNDECOR is an NGO established through international cooperation to help reduce deforestation, working to make conservation and sustainable use of forests an economic alternative for forest owners. They support forest owners interested in participation in the national PSA programme by assisting with clarification of the applicant’s land tenure status (when the situation is not contentious), preparing the paperwork for the application to FONAFIFO, such as legal paperwork and management plan - 95% of FUNDECOR’s applications are approved. In addition, FUNDECOR also provides other forest management support schemes, such as FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification and advance timber purchase and auctioning.
CODEFORSA, the San Carlos Forestry Development Commission, is another major facilitator at the local level. Their work is done on a personal basis - they know the landowners that might be interested in participating and approach them with the option of participating in the PES scheme; they also advertise on the radio. Because FONAFIFO’s scheme works on a “first come-first served” basis and calls for applications are only made at a specific time of the year, CODEFORSA keeps a “database” of applications ready for the right moment.
(32)Adapted from case study profile available in www.watershedmarkets.org
