The ramón tree to counteract deforestation in Campeche

This project was presented to the Ministry of Finance to participate in the call to obtain funds from The Gef

Project location:

State of Campeche, Mexico

Located southeast Mexico, occupies 2.9% of the national territory. Warm climate - subhumid, temperature of 26 C and precipitation of 1100 mm per year. It has 11 municipalities and 5,420 localities and a population of 458,655 women and 441,276 men; of which 12% speak an indigenous language.50.5% of the population is in poverty levels and 12% in extreme poverty. 19.2% have an educational gap and 21% do not have access to health. 33.4% do not have basic services and 26.1% do not have access to nutritious and quality food. (1)

• 1% of the population is dedicated to the primary sector. Hence 69.3% agriculture, 22% livestock and 8.7% fishing. Agricultural, forestry and livestock activities present low levels of productivity, training and little technology transfer. 86% of the population is dedicated to the secondary sector, of which 60% are paid subordinate workers and 40% are employed in micro-businesses.
• 21% of the population of Campeche lives in rural areas, these 200 thousand people are the target audience and beneficiaries of the project.
• 74.9% of the state surface is land for agriculture, cultivated forests and pastures, aquaculture, urban areas. Only 25% remains in its natural form. (2)
•  In the last 20 years, 8,000 square kilometers of forest have been lost, a fifth of the state's tree cover. (3) It is estimated that up to 2,805 hectares of forest land are deforested each year: 73% changed from forests to grasslands, 27% changed land for agriculture, the rest for human settlements and wetlands. High incidence of deforestation in the areas of Candelaria, Escárcega and Champotón.(4) (Annex map)
•  Campeche has the highest rate of deforestation in the country. Government programs in favor of the environment are mainly dedicated to solving drinking water and sanitation problems. The Secretariat of the Environment, Biodiversity, Climate Change and Energy of Campeche (SEMABICCE) was created to promote and apply mechanisms that ensure the restoration and conservation of natural resources, and ensure universal access to efficient and clean energy; Through programs and public policies, the Government promotes sustainability initiatives in the state, and expresses its commitment to these issues.
•  In addition to its oil importance, which contributes up to 4% of the national GDP, Campeche is of great strategic importance for the country, new ports, agricultural and tourist projects should be drivers of economic development for the state and rid of the ballast that affects to the rest of the country, the economic lag of the Mexican southeast.

1 - Coneval 2 - Inegi 3 - Global Forest Watch 4 - Conafor

Project description and objectives

Considerations:

1. Almost a million people live in the State of Campeche, 50% of whom live in poverty and 12% in extreme poverty.
2. The State of Campeche is the national leader in deforestation with the loss of 3,000 hectares of forest per year.
3. 99% of deforestation is caused to carry out agricultural or livestock activities.
4. Mexico imported 17 million tons of yellow corn for $6 billion usd in 2022. Most of that grain is used as animal feed.

Brosimum Alicastrum

The Ramón (Brosimum alicastrum) is an abundant endemic forest species in the tropical forests of southeastern Mexico. It is a generous tree in branches and leaves. With enormous potential to regenerate forests in the Yucatan Peninsula (CICY).

Ramón branches are used as a forage source to feed production animals, such as ruminants, pigs, horses and chickens. The forage has 14% crude protein, 3.9% ether extract or fat, 13% ash or minerals and 39% crude fiber. (1)

The seeds of the Ramón tree are a food alternative for production animals and humans. Numerous studies certify the high nutritional values ​​and medicinal properties; contains high content of protein, vitamin C, B6, B2, E, folic acid, zinc and iron; outperforms products major commercial importance such as corn, wheat and rice. It contains more tryptophan than corn, eggs, soybeans, wheat, oats, rice, peanuts, and milk. (3)

The trees produce fruit twice a year. They can produce up to 160 kg of seeds per year. In a plantation frame of 5 x 5 meters, this is equivalent to harvesting 80 tons per hectare per year; 10 times more than what was obtained per hectare of corn in Mexico - 2021. (2)

The cultivation of ramón does not require rich soils, nor fertilizers, nor pesticides; It grows abundantly on rocky and sloping soils, and tolerates dry seasons. It requires irrigation for the first two years of life, reaches maturity at 4 years and can live for more than 150 years.

The ramonales provide invaluable environmental services. Evergreen tree over 30 meters tall, evergreen foliage with a great capacity to absorb pollutants from the atmosphere. Its large size provides food and shelter for the local fauna; It has large and deep roots that allow it to withstand meteorological phenomena.

Objectives

1. Produce and plant 5 million Brosimum Alicastrum in the State of Campeche
2. Create two main programs:
   1. Brosimum Alicastrum in your house
      1. In the case of houses, education about the benefits of having these trees in patios, sidewalks, parks and avenues. Goal: 800 towns with 100 000 habitants.
   2. Brosimum Alicastrum in your parcel
      1. In the case of parcels, advice and implementation to carry out the plantation. Goal: 2000 hectares of land
   3. Implement a Cooperative Society with all the members of the community for the collection and sale of the seed.
   4. Implement a State Collection Center with the infrastructure to store, distribute and manage the sale of seed that the community achieves.
   5. Training program for women, for the use of fodder for animals and seed for the production of ramón flour and coffee.

Integrated Programs (IP) that apply:

1. Food Systems

IFAD invests in the rural population, empowering them to increase their food security, improve the nutrition of their families and increase their income. In addition to supporting the creation of productive companies.

1. Ecosystem Restoration

Objectives: preserve nature and cultural knowledge, promoting sustainable production and improving the skills of governments and communities for the integral management of natural resources.

1. Critical Forest Biomes (Mesoamerica)

They support nature-based solutions to meet the challenges of climate change, food security and socio-economic development.

1. Net-Zero Nature Positive Accelerator

Objectives investments in actions for conservation and sustainable use of land and investments in nature-based solutions in all sectors.

Rational:

The promotion, training, production, cultivation and commercialization of brosimum alicastrum meets the objectives of food aid and socio-economic development of the communities; In addition to providing enormous environmental benefits, the recovery of forest areas and the strengthening of systems and biodiversity.

Actually 1 ton of ramon seeds can be sold for $400.00 usd. One hectare of land can produce in a few years, a revenue of $32 000.00 usd. There is no need to water or fertilize the tree after the third year, and it will be producing seeds for a hundred years or more.

1 - Ayala et al. 2006

2 - EcoscienceGT

3 - CONAP

Relevance

The reforestation project with brosimum alicastrum in the communities and towns of Campeche, accompanied by the program for farmers and ejidatarios with fertile or unusable land due to inclination or excess stone, largely meets the objectives of various programs in terms of food options of environmental services and reforestation; recovery of degraded lands and economic development of the inhabitants of the lowest socio-economic level of the State.

The brosimum alicastrum project prioritizes the generation of environmental, social and economic co-benefits, as established by the National Climate Change Policy, whose objective is to promote synergistic actions and policies between mitigation and adaptation.

Reforestation with brosimum alicastrum can contribute positively to the reports presented in reference to the effort to reduce emissions and that it is carried out in harmony with sustainable development, taking into account social parameters; as required by the Paris Agreement and the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC).

The brosimum alicastrum, or ramón tree, is a native species of the Yucatan Peninsula, so the reforestation and agricultural development of the species fully adheres to the guidelines of the National Biodiversity Strategy of Mexico and the 2016-2030 Action Plan. , (ENBIOMEX), specifically in the chapters of Conservation and Restoration, (Strategic Axis 2), Use and Sustainable Management, (Strategic Axis 3); and Education and Environmental Culture, (Strategic Axis 5). And it is aligned with the objectives of reforestation, agroforestry, sustainable agriculture, community organization and responsible forest management, as established by the set of strategic lines, of actions for the mitigation of climate change defined in the ENAREDD+. In addition to promoting sustainable low carbon rural development.

Hundreds of studies confirm the viability of the ramón tree as a food option for humans and animals. The potential to replace imports of corn for cattle consumption, make the project unique and valuable at a national and international level. The possibilities of commercialization are infinite for national consumption or for export. The positive socio-economic repercussions among the producing communities, with good training and social organization, are incalculable.

Brosimum can be planted in a large part of the national territory and once the plantation is established, it does not require any maintenance; the work is reduced to the bi-annual collection and bagging of the seed. This project can be easily replicated as the tree proliferates on all the coasts of the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean, with the exception of the Baja California Peninsula.

TIER 1 GEF-8

The project can be measured based on the planting of trees planted, both in localities and in productive parcels, and in this case, the number of hectares recovered as forests. The ramón tree does not require irrigation, fertilizers or insecticides. Likewise, it is reforesting with a native species helping to conserve biodiversity.

TIER 2 GEF-8

A phased development plan is contemplated, ranging from seed collection, tree production nurseries and training programs and delivery of trees to the communities. Supervision of plantations and constant support staff to producers. Likewise, the creation and administration of the community collection center.

Cross-cutting priorities

1. The academy:

The project will be led by the Campeche National Polytechnic Institute, as general coordinator and financial agent. It is intended to involve its teaching and student staff to form the logistics, distribution and modernization of the plantations. The benefit of integrating the faculty and students intensely with the community is inherent in a task that will surely enrich all parties.

1. Social Organization:

On the other hand, The Mayan Nut Institute has been teaching training courses on the use of ramón seeds for more than 10 years, especially to women from southeastern Mexico, Central and South America. Its goal is Finding Balance Between People, Food and Forests. It has programs ranging from training for children and women, such as reforestation and product certification programs.

1. The Private Initiative

Castamay Reforesta and REQ Agroindustrias are leaders in the region in the production of seedlings and trees for reforestation. In addition, with extensive experience in the commercialization of agricultural products from the area at a national or international level; Therefore, the production of the plant and the start-up of the Collection Center and the commercialization of the seed, would be guaranteed with the joint experience of these two companies.

Feasibility

The ramón tree seed collection center project has several studies, one of which stands out, developed by the Technological Institute of the Mayan Zone (Tox Gómez Brenda and Gómez Hernández Estela); which concludes the economic feasibility of establishing the Collection Center and its benefits for the population. http://shorturl.at/cjyOZ

Brosimum Alicastrum planting pre-feasibility studies:

1. Establishment and early production of ramón (Brosimum alicastrum Swartz) in plantations at high densities in northern Yucatán, Mexico, UN-FAO http://shorturl.at/qEY02
2. Protocol for the collection, processing and storage of the Brosimum Alicastrum seed - from the National Forestry Commission – http://shorturl.at/ajlq0
3. Production of ramón trees and their derivatives for the sustainable development of the southern region of the State of Yucatán – http://shorturl.at/lFH67
4. Soil conservation and erosion control CONABIO http://shorturl.at/fhXZ2
5. Growth stages of Brosimum Alicastrum - Yucatan Scientific Research Center - https://cutt.ly/s2C8nM
6. Feasibility study for the production and commercialization of the seed of the ramón tree - University of Quintana Roo - https://cutt.ly/D2C8DNd
7. Ramón seed: Energy food alternative for production animals and humans - Autonomous University of Yucatan - https://cutt.ly/Z2C86xP
8. The nutritional heritage of the ramón tree - ECOSUR – http://shorturl.at/cGLTZ
9. Ramón tree: ally against hunger and climate change – CienciaMX – http://shorturl.at/josC5
10. Seed-producing agroforestry system to reduce grain imports – Yucatan Scientific Research Center – http://shorturl.at/kBDLQ

The execution strategy begins with the harvest of seeds for plant production. Brosimum Alicastrum presents practically 95% germination, so the risks inherent in this stage are null.

There are two desired products in the implementation stage:

1. Reforestation in towns, cities and plots with the environmental benefit
2. Production of ramón nut, its collection, packing and sale.

Stage one risks have to do with neglect of plantations in their early stages of development. The indicators used will be the verification of surviving trees per year and their quantification of CO2 sequestration to the atmosphere projected for 10 years.

Stage two risks harvest time. Although results are expected after 4 years, it is important to maintain the training and visit objectives during that time to achieve the objectives. The impact of the project can be easily measured by counting economic production and marketing of the product in the Collection Center.

Both stages seek to generate an Individual Change both in the culture that the development of the ramón tree implies, and in its economic environment, providing an additional or main business depending on the size of its plantation.

This project intends to receive additional resources from the Campeche State Government once it is underway. In coordination with the State Rural Development Secretariat, we would request that they appropriate the project as a tool for social development, reforestation, and mitigation of climate change and deforestation in the state.

Institutional and/or legal agreements

The project will seek coordination and participation with the following state agencies: Secretariat of Agricultural Development, Secretariat of the Environment, Biodiversity, Climate Change and Energy, Institute for Women of the State of Campeche. At the federal level, the project will be presented to the National Forestry Commission, the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources,

Capacity for the execution of the project

The Liaison Centers of the Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Unit Cancun and Campeche, accumulate significant experience in the management of community care projects in the states of Quintana Roo, Campeche, Yucatan, Chiapas and Tabasco. For more than 8 years serving various Federal Government programs such as; Sentinel Points for SEDESOL, Urban Development Polygons of the SEDATU Habitat Program, FORTASEG Gender Network, Projects for the Prevention of Violence for the WELFARE and INMUJERES programs, ECOSOL-IMJUVE Youth with a social economy approach, Training Project for improvement and tourist training with resources from the secretary of economy SME Fund, Project walking towards a life without violence for women in the state of Campeche PAIMEF.

The Mayan Nut Institute has been operating since 2001, teaching courses and workshops on the use of walnuts and reforestation. It operates in 10 states of the republic and promotes the commercialization of walnuts and their products. Its programs are directly aimed at women from rural communities.

Some collaborators and researchers that participate with this non-profit association are the University of Sciences and Arts of Chiapas (UNICACH), National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR), National Commission of Protected Areas (CONANP), Education Brigade for Rural Development Oxcutzcab, Yucatán, Technological Baccalaureate Center 140-Michoacan, University Center of the South Coast, University of Guadalajara, Alianza Jaguar, Mexican Association for Rural and Urban Transformation, A.C. (AMEXTRA), National Commission for Culture and the Arts (CONACULTA), Xanath Ecological Park, Comprehensive Family Development (DIF), National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Regional Hospital of the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS), Autonomous University of Yucatan (UADY), Maya In Laakeech A.C. Foundation, Vallarta Botanical Garden, Autonomous University of Morelos (UAEM), Center for Tropical Research (CITRO), Center for Nutrition and the Environment of Indigenous Peoples (CINE), McGill University, Canada, as well as generous individual donors. Likewise, the members of Mexico have been generously trained in various topics thanks to the support of Exxon Mobil, the Center for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA), the Canada-Latin America and the Caribbean Research Exchange Grants program (LACREG), Alternativas, A.C. and Solar Household Energy (SHE-INC.)

Castamay Reforesta and REQ Agroindustrias Yucatán, have extensive experience in the production of in-vitro trees (with their own laboratories), and sexual and asexual reproduction of all types of endemic, forestry and cultivable fruit trees in the Yucatán Peninsula region. . There are 3,000 square meters of covered anti-aphid greenhouses and 3 hectares of solar greenhouses, all with fertilization and irrigation systems. For more than a decade we have been marketing fruit from the peninsula to all of Mexico and the United States, with extensive experience in regulations, logistics, and transportation; as well as coordination with producers in the region for the collection of their agricultural products. In 2022, 1 million trees were produced in our nurseries and we marketed more than 3000 tons of fresh fruit and 720 tons of manufactured fruit products.

Justification of the need of GEF Resources

Since the 1970s, Brosimum Alicastrum has been identified as a human and animal food option, and as a viable proposal for the economic development of the population of the Yucatan Peninsula. This is how various studies by Universities and Research Centers conclude. However, despite its benefits, a successful, structured plan with clear objectives to develop the project has not been developed.

Justification:

1. Mitigate the deforestation process of the Campeche jungle.
2. Reforest with a tree endemic to the area, both in towns and in parcels and agricultural fields; on fertile lands, with mixed crops and on abandoned and eroded lands.
3. Provide an additional and/or main source of income to the rural communities of the State.
4. Structure a seed collection program that guarantees the perpetuity of the project through a cooperative in the business of buying and selling the product. (Functional example and model to follow: Campeche Honey and Wax)
5. Become a national alternative to grain imports, replicating the model in all the states that have a coast; developing training and seed collection centers.
6. This program is easily replicable throughout Central America.

Environmental priorities addressed by the present project:

1. Food Systems

• Agroecology approach.
• Traditional agroecosystems.
• Combat industrial crops and monocultures.
• Promotion of native crops.
• Sustainable production.

1. Sustainable Cities

• Urban biodiversity.
• Non-urban areas of environmental value.

1. Accelerator Carbon Neutral and Positive Nature

• Deforestation due to land use change in forest lands and impact on mitigation of greenhouse gases.
• Solutions based on nature.

1. Ecosystem Restoration

• Deforestation due to land use change in forest lands.
• Landscape restoration.

The project is perfectly aligned with the concepts of the Integrated Programs for Systems Transformation and Global Environmental Benefits from the GEF-8 Programming Directions document.