Summary
Switching to sustainable land management and production systems requires considerable investments in technical and financial assistance as well as improved access to finance for smallholder and indigenous communities. Without access to finance, smallholders who live on the outskirts of the Amazon cannot access the technology they need to sustainably improve productivity and end up relying on agricultural extension for their living. Without access to finance, indigenous communities who live in the Amazon are unable to access vertically integrated value chains to sell products that are sustainably produced within the forest. Building upon the Rainforest Alliance's work with smallholders and indigenous communities in Peru, and inputs from a multi-stakeholder workshop hosted by the Rainforest Alliance and Citi in Lima, Peru, in October 2016, this report aims to define Peru's deforestation challenges; demonstrate how investments in smallholders and indigenous communities can drive change and; present blended-finance approaches, including those explored by the Rainforest Alliance, in support of smallholder producers and indigenous communities.