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Promoting mountain products at AdaptAmericas

21.05.2018

The conference AdaptAmericas, organized by the Inter-American Development Bank and partners, took place on 15–16 May 2018 in Panama City, Panama, where participants discussed private and public sector opportunities generated in the context of climate change. Climate change has far-reaching implications for the economies of Latin America and the Caribbean in terms of how the region identifies, assesses and manages a range of climate-related risks. Public and private institutions are increasingly aware of the importance of understanding and managing these risks, which may affect their value chains, physical assets, financial systems resilience, investment strategies and technological development, among others.

Building communities’ adaptive capacities and resilience to the more volatile weather conditions created by climate change also provides opportunities for Latin America and the Caribbean. Businesses and investors have been creating innovative tools and business models to tap into the need to respond to the impacts of climate change. This is especially relevant to mountain communities, which are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change due to their remote locations and social marginalization.

Given the necessity to improve resilience and promote sustainable economies all while addressing climate-related risks, AdaptAmericas brought together different actors to showcase innovative practices and tools being leveraged in a wide range of industries, providing a forum to discuss new ways to build resilience and successfully adapt to climate change.

Alberto Pasqual of Fundación CoMunidad, a Mountain Partnership member located in Panama, discussed promoting mountain products as an innovative solution to addressing climate change in mountain communities while simultaneously improving livelihoods. Although mountain agriculture cannot compete with the prices and volumes of lowland production, it can concentrate on high-value, high-quality, locally adapted products to boost local economies.

Pasqual gave the example of Ceibal Coffee, which is traditionally grown by mountain family farmers in the protected Santa Fe park area in Panama with traditional practices that preserve the local culture and natural resources. The shade-grown cultivation technique of the coffee ensures the conservation of environmental, polycultural and agroforestal biodiversity and plays a crucial role in mitigating and adapting to climate change. It also reduces soil erosion and nutrient loss while also respecting the ground cover, trees and their extensive root systems.

The AdaptAmericas conference offered a unique opportunity for impact investors to engage with entrepreneurs and businesses that are tackling climate change in Latin America with innovative solutions. In search of seed capital or financial support, entrepreneurs presented their businesses and growth models to investors for input. Initial presentations were designed to pique the interest of relevant investors to allow the entrepreneurs and investors to quickly identify whether there was potential to work together.

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Photo: Fundación CoMunidad/Alberto Pasqual

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