The government of President Daniel Noboa announced on April 8 the allocation of $450,000 to six Amazonian producer organizations. The funds are provided through the Forest and Farm Facility mechanism and implemented in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Ecuador. The initiative aims to support sustainable productive projects that combine ecosystem conservation with local economic development.
The funding includes grants of up to $100,000 per organization. These resources are intended to strengthen value chains, improve production capacity, and expand market access for Amazonian products such as cacao, guayusa, Amazonian cinnamon, and macambo. The approach seeks to generate sustainable income while preserving forest integrity by integrating responsible production practices with ancestral knowledge.
Inés María Manzano, Minister of Environment and Energy, said: “Ecuador da hoy un paso más hacia la bioeconomía. Con la entrega de estos fondos, fortalecemos el liderazgo y la innovación de organizaciones que demuestran que es posible promover la prosperidad mientras se conserva nuestra biodiversidad.”
Since 2019, this mechanism has mobilized more than $4.6 million in Ecuador according to official information from the government press release. It has directly benefited 14,600 rural families and promoted good practices across more than 211,000 hectares. Nearly half of beneficiaries are women and about three-quarters identify as members of Indigenous peoples or nationalities.
Gherda Barreto, FAO representative in Ecuador said: “Esta apuesta busca que las organizaciones lideren la protección de sus ecosistemas. No se trata solo de recursos financieros, sino de fortalecer capacidades para que los productos amazónicos lleguen a más mercados bajo un enfoque de sostenibilidad.”
The recipient organizations—Asociación Wiñak; ASOPROMAS; UNOCACE; Asociación Kallari; Corporación de Asociaciones de la Chakra Amazónica; and Asociación Tsapau—will use these funds for initiatives ranging from traceability systems and value addition processes to financial education programs for youth and revitalization of traditional knowledge.
With this investment package the country continues its commitment to a development model that links forest conservation with concrete economic opportunities while positioning bioeconomy as a strategic pillar for the future of Ecuador’s Amazon region.
