ECO-PALMS

A Healthier Harvest

In Guatemala and Mexico, an effort is underway to develop a new structure for harvesting palms that protects the environment and also provides a fair income for the harvesters of the palms.

Called eco-palms, the palms are harvested in a more sustainable way, whereby the harvesters are paid on the quality of the palms they harvest rather than the quantity, which helps to limit the amount of palms taken from the forest. These communities have taken upon themselves to learn about harvesting practices that minimize impact on the natural forest where the palm grows, and ways to protect this wild species of palm.

In fact, in Guatemala, the palm harvesters have received SmartWood certification from the Rainforest Alliance, a “seal of approval” that ensures consumers that the wood products they purchase come from forests managed to conserve biodiversity and support local communities. In some areas where the waste ratio reached as high as 50% before, now the discarded palms count for only 5-7% of the harvested volume.

And, rather than sending the harvested palms off to a distant warehouse for sorting and packaging, the community members complete those tasks themselves and sell their palms directly rather than relying on middlemen—ensuring that more of the money paid for the palms actually goes to those who worked the hardest to provide them.

When done in a socially and environmentally just way, palm gathering protects valuable natural forests. Steady markets for palm prevent the forest from being destroyed for other uses. Eco-palms protect the unique and important biodiversity of the region and maintain the local communities' standard of living.

Eco-Palms:
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