We mitigate land degradation
and climate change by investing in community agroforestry projects
and sustainable supply chains
“The Café Selva Norte project of Urapi Sustainable
Land Use is the perfect example of a profitable project
allowing private investment to achieve the goals of the three UN conventions on desertification, climate change and biodiversity.”
- Gautier Quéru
Director Land Degradation Neutrality Fund ProjectMirova
“Urapi Sustainable Land Use will enable thousands of farming families in Latin America to thrive while improving the quality of their environment by supporting better land use techniques. Since the beginning of our operations, sustainable development has been at the heart of Fondaction's raison d'être. We are proud to be part of this initiative, which contributes to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals and the fight against climate change."
- Léopold Beaulieu
Former Chief executive officer
Fondaction
INVESTMENTS
Micro-credits for land use change
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Micro-credits for the transition from unsustainable land use to sustainable forestry or agroforestry activities
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Technical Assistance (quality improvement and yield increase)
Value-chain
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Processing and warehousing infrastructure
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Agricultural inputs production and commercialization
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Development of commodity sales with added-value
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Quality control of commodities
Climate finance
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Integration of climate finance to monetize projects' positive environmental impacts
ABOUT URAPI
When ECOTIERRA - URAPI's fund manager and project operator - was established in 2011, it initially worked with NGOs, governments and private companies to develop projects related to agroforestry, carbon finance and cooperative strengthening.
Ecotierra found that existing models did not allow for a holistic, long-term approach to maximize impact for small-scale producers and the environment.
In 2016, Ecotierra decided to create the Urapi Sustainable Land Use fund, which was officially launched in 2017 at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 23).
The Urapi fund completed its first closing ($30M) in 2018 and a second closing ($50M) in 2021 which are dedicated to:
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Addressing climate change through two of the difficult and underestimated problems: deforestation and land degradation.
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Investing directly in community-based sustainable agroforestry projects in Latin America, offering private equity-like returns and significant positive social and environmental impacts.
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Provide long-term financing (debt and equity) to projects that meet strict environmental and social standards and contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Investors and clients have access to a proprietary integrated impact tracking and reporting solution.
The Urapi fund's unique bottom-up investment strategy strengthens small-scale coffee and cocoa producer organizations, intermediaries, and consumers by increasing transparency, traceability, and certified products.
ESG IMPACTS TARGETS
13,000
participants involved
40,000
hectares reforested
850,000
hectares under conservation
250
Jobs created
URAPI Sustainable Land Use Fund Progress Until 2021
3976
participants involved
378.25
hectares reforested
54 613
hectares under conservation
39
Jobs created
PROJECT DEVELOPER
& OPERATOR
ECOTIERRA designs, develops, and operates sustainable agriculture and forestry projects. The company’s team offers decades of field experience with coffee and cocoa producer organizations in Latin America, North America, and Africa. It also has worked with a variety of partners including private companies, financial entities, international cooperation, local governments, and commodity buyers.
Given its ability to work with a wide breadth of stakeholders and its knowledge of each step required in developing successful agroforestry projects, ECOTIERRA is recognized as an industry leader for its ability to design coherent and performing business models using a unique bottom-up approach.