The USAID’s Sustainable Landscapes (SL) programs seek to ensure that land is sustainably managed to achieve resilient, low emissions development. Through its SL assistance, and this Addendum to the Broad Agency Announcement, USAID/Mexico seeks partners to research, develop, test, scale-up, and evaluate innovative approaches to decrease deforestation, add value to sustainable productive systems, diversify and improve rural livelihoods in selected landscapes in southern Mexico.

Through this Call for EOIs and the subsequent co-creation process, USAID/Mexico seeks to identify partners who can successfully research, develop, test, and evaluate innovative approaches to decrease deforestation in the Calakmul region and other selected landscapes in southern Mexico (Lacandona Jungle and Sierra Madre regions in Chiapas and Sierra Sur region in Oaxaca).

Program Strategies

USAID convened several focus groups around this problem set. USAID therefore presents nine illustrative strategies to sustainably address deforestation in southern Mexico that in part resulted from these focus groups. These strategies may be helpful to organizations as they develop research and development (R&D) approaches.

• Landscape approach
• Enhancement of cooperation across the landscape
• Sustained community engagement in projects that impact the landscape
• Integration of gender and youth
• Engagement with indigenous peoples
• Strengthen development of diversified and sustainable value chains
• Support improved infrastructure and better access to markets
• Promote off-farm income while retaining value in the landscapes
• Focus on deforestation as the highest-level outcome

Eligibility Criteria

• EOIs may come from organizations in the natural resources management sector, including technical assistance providers, community forest and smallholder producer organizations, private sector, civil society and non-governmental organizations, businesses buying and selling sustainably-sourced products, investors, asset managers, intermediaries, academia, thought leaders, and other entities that have experience and capabilities in line with the objectives of this solicitation.
• Applicants should be willing to meaningfully discuss challenges and to collectively develop, and then test and evaluate potential market-based solutions to reduce deforestation and promote sustainable livelihoods, taking into account challenges and opportunities that include access to markets, community governance, access to finance, market failures or distortions, capacity to implement sustainable agriculture, livestock and forestry practices, policy and regulatory barriers, and consumer demand, among others.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.