Building Climate Resilient ‘Guardians of the Forest and Regenerative Agriculture' Communities in Forest Buffer Zones Across Rural Belize

The project aims to transform agricultural and forest-use practices in ten buffer communities across Belize to mitigate climate risks such as unpredictable rainfall and increased storm intensity. It focuses on implementing regenerative agriculture (e.g., Inga alley cropping, silvopastoral systems), improving community water management, and developing sustainable forest-linked livelihoods, including beekeeping and non-timber forest product enterprises. The initiative seeks to benefit approximately 22,000 direct and 60,000 indirect beneficiaries, with a total indicative cost of USD 11,058,540, primarily funded by a GCF grant.

• Belize is highly susceptible to climate change, ranking 8th globally, with primary drivers being increased temperature, changes in rainfall distribution, and increased storm intensity.
• Traditional 'milpa' (slash and burn) farming leads to a cycle of soil degradation, deforestation, and reduced carbon sequestration because land is not left to regenerate for sufficient periods due to population growth.
• The project targets ten forest-buffer communities surrounding the Vaca Forest Reserve, Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Reserve, Golden Stream Nature Reserve, and Shipstern Conservation and Management Area.
• Regenerative agricultural strategies will include Inga alley cropping and silvopastoral systems to replace slash-and-burn, alongside composting, biochar, and the use of Vetiver grass to stabilize soils and increase water retention.
• To address erratic rainfall, the project will implement community-wide integrated water-harvesting, catchment, recycling, and irrigation systems, some powered by solar pumps.
• Beekeeping is identified as a priority for rural livelihoods, with the project aiming to scale up honey production from both the traditional honeybee (Apis mellifera) and the native stingless bee (Melipona beechii).
• The project's total indicative cost is USD 11,058,540, with USD 9,958,540 requested from the GCF as grants and USD 1,100,000 in co-financing.
• The project expects to achieve a mitigation impact of 10,000 tCO2eq over its lifespan and reach 22,000 direct and 60,000 indirect beneficiaries.

APA

Green Climate Fund (2021). Building Climate Resilient ‘Guardians of the Forest and Regenerative Agriculture' Communities in Forest Buffer Zones Across Rural Belize. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/26580-building-climate-resilient-guardians-forest-and-regenerative-agriculture-communitie-across.pdf

Chicago

Green Climate Fund. Building Climate Resilient ‘Guardians of the Forest and Regenerative Agriculture' Communities in Forest Buffer Zones Across Rural Belize. 2021. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/26580-building-climate-resilient-guardians-forest-and-regenerative-agriculture-communitie-across.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Green Climate Fund |title=Building Climate Resilient ‘Guardians of the Forest and Regenerative Agriculture' Communities in Forest Buffer Zones Across Rural Belize |date=6 July 2021 |url=https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/26580-building-climate-resilient-guardians-forest-and-regenerative-agriculture-communitie-across.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greenclimatefund2021building, author = {{Green Climate Fund}}, title = {{Building Climate Resilient ‘Guardians of the Forest and Regenerative Agriculture' Communities in Forest Buffer Zones Across Rural Belize}}, institution = {Green Climate Fund}, year = {2021}, month = jul, url = {https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/26580-building-climate-resilient-guardians-forest-and-regenerative-agriculture-communitie-across.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }