Panama – Smallholder Production in Darién Buffer Zones

Improving productivity AND increasing the incomes of small and medium-sized farmers

With funding from the Inter-American Development Bank, ACDI/VOCA’s Smallholder Production in Darién Buffer Zones project is working to improve the productivity and increase the incomes of small and medium-sized farmers in the Darién Province of Panama. The project specifically targets smallholders farming in the buffer zones of the Darién National Park and the Chepigana Forest Reserve. The award includes a $100,000 fund for basic farm infrastructure for farmers who are making improvements and participating in technical assistance and training activities. Through the project, ACDI/VOCA is ensuring that the country’s agricultural sector develops in a sustainable and environmentally sound manner.

The project targets the following areas:

communities along the Balsas River basin towards Tucutí and communities along the Marea River basin
communities located in the Chepigana Forest Reserve buffer zone, with a focus on area indigenous farmers
communities in the local district of Sambú, the outlaying Sambú areas bordering the Darién National Park buffer zone, and the areas of the Darién National Park that overlap with the Bagre Biological Corridor. This includes farmers from the Emberá, Wounaan, Afro-Panamanian, and the immigrated mestizo populations from the interior provinces.

The principal project activities and deliverables are

a participatory diagnostic to establish a baseline inventory of agricultural production and farming practices in the Darién National Park and Chepigana Forest Reserve buffer zone
selection of farms/farmers to implement pilot farm projects
community-strengthening plans to increase local capacity in self-management, administration and negotiation
farm-level facilitation with farmers to select activities to increase farm production and output
development of farm-level plans of all 25 participating farms using GPS and GIS tools, including layout maps, crop diversification options based on market, marketing of products, and low-cost sustainable technologies
implementation of plans through technical assistance
support of the regional Ministry of Agricultural in the preparation and implementation of a plan for follow-up and monitoring of the work plans of the beneficiary organizations and farmers

PDF version of profile (1.06 MB).