July 2018

Forests newsletter

Welcome to the latest edition of the IIED Forest team newsletter. We're excited to tell you about the launch of Phase II of the Forest and Farm Facility (FFF), new publications and share our recent news on sustainable forest finance.

Geraldine Warren – Forest team, IIED

Forest and Farm Facility (FFF) entering a new phase

We are pleased to announce that Phase II of the Forest and Farm Facility (FFF) will be launched on 20 July at the FAO Committee on Forestry (COFO) in Rome. The goal during the next period (2018-2022) is to scale up the role of FFPOs to achieve Climate Resilient Landscapes and Improved Livelihoods.

To date, FFF has reached 947 FFPOs in 10 partner countries as well as delivering regional and global programmes engaging with 30 organisations with a combined membership of more than 40 million people. Phase II will see work to continue strengthening these FFPOs which represent smallholders, rural women's groups, local communities and indigenous peoples. It is essential that the world's 1.5 billion forest and farm smallholders are engaged with to enable the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

News and blogs

Mass mobilisation: boosting businesses and protecting forests

As we celebrate the launch of FFF Phase II, Duncan Macqueen reflects on the success of Phase I.

Watch now: Sustainability of forest-related enterprises

On 11 April we hosted a webinar for 100 forest experts. The video of the webinar is now available to view on IIED's YouTube channel.

The International Day of Forests

Peter de Marsh, chair of the International Family Forestry Alliance, helped IIED mark the day by explaining the significance of the Forest and Farm Facility (FFF): "building hope for our families, our communities, and the planet".

Publications and briefings

Forest business incubation: Towards sustainable forest and farm producer organisation (FFPO) businesses that ensure climate resilient landscapes

This book investigates how forest business incubation can deliver a win-win-win for the economy, society and the environment. It draws on 11 forest business incubator case studies from Asia, Africa and Latin America.

ForBInc: Forest business incubation toolkit by and for Forest and Farm Producer Organisations

This toolkit is written for second-tier umbrella organisations of forest and farm producers, who aspire to offer business incubation services for their members. It draws on findings from the forest business incubation book (above) and is laid out in a logical sequence of 5 modules with practical tips and guidance throughout.

Financing forest-related enterprises: lessons from the Forest Investment Program

The Climate Investment Funds (CIF) ‘Evaluation and Learning Partnership on Financing Forest-Related Enterprises’ is investigating ways to improve access to and leverage finance from the private sector. This briefing presents some of the initial findings and challenges that emerged.

Win–win in Belize: incubating community businesses that protect forests

The biodiverse forest landscapes of Belize are under threat from company land concessions, agricultural expansion and dry season fires. This briefing explores a model for community forest business incubation that incentivised community fire management in Belize’s biodiversity-rich lowland pine savannahs.