Costa Rica

Project overview

The Costa Rica Food Systems Integrated Program project supports the Government of Costa Rica’s efforts to transition toward sustainable, regenerative, and inclusive food systems in alignment with national priorities, including the National Strategy for Low-Carbon Livestock, the National Decarbonization Plan (NDP), the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP), and the country’s updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). The project advances Costa Rica’s long-standing environmental leadership while strengthening the livestock sector’s role in climate mitigation, biodiversity conservation, and rural development.

The project is implemented in the Arenal–Huetar Norte Conservation Area (ACAHN), a biodiverse region of 8,924 km² characterized by tropical forests, wetlands, and extensive pasturelands. Here, unsustainable livestock practices, land-use change, invasive species, and climate-driven droughts and floods threaten biodiversity, ecosystem services, and the productivity of the country’s largest cattle-producing area. The region includes critical habitats and protected wilderness areas such as Caño Negro and Maquenque, which support globally important species and ecosystem functions.

In response, the project promotes integrated, nature‑positive food systems approaches that strengthen governance, expand access to incentives and finance, improve digital monitoring systems, and scale sustainable and regenerative livestock production. It supports the adoption of silvopastoral systems, improved grazing, water and soil management, restoration of riparian forests and wetlands, and traceability systems to ensure deforestation‑free production. The project also prioritizes gender equality and the inclusion of the Maleku Indigenous people through targeted support for land tenure, financial access, capacity building, and leadership within value chains.

By advancing regenerative livestock systems, improving institutional coordination, and enabling inclusive, climate‑resilient value chains, the project aims to enhance livelihoods, restore ecosystems, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and strengthen Costa Rica’s position as a global model for biodiversity‑friendly and low‑emission food systems transformation. Ultimately, it contributes to long‑term sustainability while protecting the country’s globally significant natural heritage.

Our approach

The project applies an integrated food systems and landscape approach that connects policy, production, ecosystems, and markets to address the drivers of land degradation, biodiversity loss, and climate vulnerability in the Arenal–Huetar Norte Conservation Area. By aligning governance, finance, and sustainable livestock practices, the project tackles systemic barriers that limit Costa Rica’s transition to nature‑positive and low‑emission food systems. 

It strengthens food systems governance through multi‑actor coordination platforms, improved institutional frameworks, and enhanced land‑use monitoring using digital and geospatial tools. At the production level, the project promotes regenerative and climate‑smart livestock practices, including silvopastoral systems, improved grazing, ecosystem restoration, and wetland and riparian forest recovery, to reduce emissions, enhance soil and water management, and increase resilience.

The project also boosts sustainable value chains by expanding access to finance, piloting investment‑readiness support, and strengthening traceability and deforestation‑free certification systems. Knowledge platforms, farm‑to‑farm learning exchanges, and participatory monitoring enable evidence‑based decision‑making and innovation across the sector. 
Restoration of degraded forests and wetlands, community‑based natural resource management, and capacity building for institutions and producers are central to sustaining regenerative practices. The approach places strong emphasis on gender equality and inclusion, ensuring that women, youth, and the Maleku Indigenous people benefit equitably from food systems transformation.

Sites

The project is implemented across the Arenal–Huetar Norte Conservation Area (ACAHN), spanning the cantons of Guatuso, Los Chiles, Upala, San Carlos, Río Cuarto, and Sarapiquí. These areas include ecologically significant landscapes such as the Caño Negro Mixed National Wildlife Refuge (Ramsar site), Maquenque Wildlife Refuge, and Bosque Alegre, which host globally important biodiversity.