Payments for Ecosystem Services to secure environmental services and livelihoods in coffee agroforests

The project investigates the potential of Payments for Environmental Services (PES) to secure ecosystem services and improve the livelihoods of smallholder coffee farmers in Central America, specifically in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. It focuses on small-scale coffee agroforestry systems, where vulnerability to coffee price fluctuations and production uncertainties are driving farmers towards more intensive farming systems. The study analyzes how coffee cooperatives can facilitate the implementation of PES schemes and examines the design of programs that are efficient, effective and equitable.