Launched in 2014 with initial funding from the Climate Investment Fund’s Forest Investment Program and additional financing through the Global Environment Facility and the Central African Forest Initiative, the Improved Forested Landscape Management Project (IFLMP) supported the adoption of sustainable land management practices over 375,000 hectares, including the establishment of more than 25,000 hectares of new agroforestry plantations. Although IFLMP officially closed in May 2024, it left behind important political, environmental, and behavioral shifts that now provide the foundation for FOREST, the Forest and Savanna Restoration Investment Program. Building on this legacy, FOREST is now poised to expand these efforts, leveraging the successful models of co-financing smallholder farmers and providing payments for ecosystem services (PES) to communities.
Already, FOREST has established over 900 hectares of sustainable agroforestry plantations in partnership with private landowners. This consists of Acacia agroforestry woodlots intercropped with cassava, maize, cowpea or groundnut. Acacias auriculiformis is planted to produce charcoal and Acacias mangium for timber production. This marks the beginning of a plan to enroll over 500 landowners (including at least 20% women) in creating 35,000 hectares of sustainable agroforestry plantations.
The initiative empowers landowners to adopt innovative and sustainable land management practices, supported by performance-based grants. These allow them to overcome financial hurdles, such as high upfront costs and limited access to credit, ensuring the long-term sustainability of these investments. Smallholder farmers can reinvest these earnings into new plantations, maintaining growth and development without the need for subsidies. The revenue generated from the sale of agricultural produce and sustainable charcoal will ensure the long-term sustainability of these investments. Smallholder farmers can reinvest these earnings into new plantations, maintaining growth and development without the need for subsidies.
The smallholder farmers plantations supported by FOREST are expected to generate 3,500 new local jobs, with 106 permanent positions already created—83 of which are held by women—and 1,041 temporary jobs, with 374 occupied by women. This potential is exemplified in Kongo Central, where farmers engaged in the project report having transformed uncertainty into opportunity by gaining the knowledge and resources needed to add value to their land. Their investments have already generated a significant number of jobs on their farms, providing employment opportunities for individuals from surrounding communities.
Beyond individual farmers, FOREST is set to support an additional 85,000 hectares of community-led plantations. Local development committees will guide land use activities, with PES enhancing livelihoods through sustainable practices. Value chain development initiatives will further support farmers and communities, transforming farm products as well as improving market access through road infrastructure.
This acacia-manioc agroforestry system effectively addresses the primary drivers of deforestation in the DRC, such as slash-and-burn agriculture and illegal fuelwood harvesting from natural forests, reducing pressure on forests while contributing to sustainable livelihoods for the poorest and most vulnerable.
The investments in agroforestry are complemented by support to advanced charcoal production techniques and the clean cookstoves value chain. Beyond fostering the expansion of new acacia plantations, FOREST also collaborates with small landowners who previously planted trees under IFLMP, strengthening their capacity in improved carbonization practices for sustainable energy production, thereby capitalizing on the yields of the previous project and ensuring continuity between projects. This supply-side transformation is paired with demand-side interventions through the distribution of clean cookstoves supported by ESMAP, with the goal of achieving affordable and clean energy access while reducing deforestation and mitigating health risks from household air pollution.
As acacia forests grow, they also offer recreational value to local communities, embodying a vision where environmental stewardship and economic empowerment go hand in hand.
