ADA supports sustainable forest management in Guatemala

Since 2024, ADA has been running projects in Guatemala to help rural communities develop economic activities based on sustainable and legal forest management, while preserving biodiversity.

Guatemala's forests are disappearing at a worrying rate. According to the World Resources Institute, the country lost 2.7% of its primary forests in 2024, mainly due to drought, fires and illegal logging related to agriculture and livestock farming. Yet, at the heart of these fragile territories, rural communities – especially smallholder foresters – hold part of the solution: they can help preserve the environment and biodiversity while developing sustainable economic activities.

Support and create synergies between local value chain actors

In partnership with the local organizations Tikonel and ASOCUCH, ADA supports both smallholder foresters as well as micro and small wood processing companies in four ways:

• Training in sustainable forest management 
• Facilitating access to appropriate financing 
• Connecting stakeholders to create local value chains 
• Advocating for legal frameworks conducive to responsible exploitation.

Capacity building of micro and small enterprises

For example, ADA strengthens the management skills of micro and small wood processing companies to improve their competitiveness and market access.

“Our sawmill is a family-owned business. We thought we were doing a good job of keeping records, but Tikonel and ADA helped us improve our archiving and control system so that we could get the most out of our accounts.” 

says Brenda Patricia Ajuchan Sis, owner of Ajuchan.

Support for pinabete growers

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Another emblematic example is support for  Abies guatemalensis (pinabete) growers, a fir species endemic to Guatemala. Thanks to the programme, they learn how to manage their plantations sustainably and sell fir trees and Christmas decorations from legal and sustainable sources.
This approach reduces the pressure on natural forests while providing income for rural families.

 "Thanks to the income generated by the sale of pinabete trees, I was able to pay for my children's education and prepare them for the future."

explains Arcadio Figueroa López, a pinabete grower.

Tangible results from the very first year

Since 2024, the programme in Guatemala has already made it possible to:

• Train 255 growers in sustainable forest management
• Support 22 micro and small wood processing companies
• Manage more than 100 hectares of forests responsibly.

By structuring sustainable local value chains, the programme aims to demonstrate that it is possible to manage forests sustainably while strengthening the communities that depend on them.

More information about the Agriculture & Forestry programme