At their most local, initiatives to reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) will depend on rural people to manage forest resources. Although the design of frameworks, mechanisms and arrangements, to implement REDD programs have received significant attention, it is not yet clear how REDD+ will function on the ground or how the participation of local populations will be assured. Community forest management (CFM) could be an option under REDD+ depending on how it is negotiated, largely because of the expectation that CFM could reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation. Examining institutional factors in the emergence of successful CFM systems and local forest enterprises could provide valuable lessons for REDD planners. We examine cases of CFM development in Mexico, Brazil and Bolivia, to assess the role of multi-scaled governance institutions in their development. Comparing and contrasting advanced CFM systems to regions where it is still emerging, we will show how the establishment of a local organizational base for communal resource management is crucial.

Integrated natural resource management (INRM) helps resource users, managers, and others to manage resources sustainably by considering, reconciling, and synergizing their various interests and activities. Although many social and environmental problems have to be tackled at a range of scales to be resolved successfully, INRM has particular relevance at the landscape level at which the interests of local people first intersect those of the outside world. We propose eight guidelines for building successful INRM programs: focus on multiscale analysis and intervention; develop partnerships and engage in action research; facilitate change rather than dictating it; promote visioning and the development of scenarios; recognize the importance of local knowledge; foster social learning and adaptive management; concentrate on both people and their natural resources, including biodiversity; and embrace complexity. Reviewing these guidelines in the light of experiences from three separate studies shows that most are being done, though more as a product of happenstance than design. The guidelines form a mutually reinforcing framework for building INRM, primarily through empowering local stakeholders to be more articulate advocates and active participants in their own development and conservation efforts

Innovations in agricultural bio-inputs can lead to sustainable alternatives to replace synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. However, there is no clear understanding of what technologies can become available to farmers as commercial products, particularly in developing countries. This study summarizes the innovations used in commercial products in Argentina and Brazil based on the countries’ official data and on in-depth surveys conducted with 14 bio-input private companies. The results reveal ongoing development efforts to improve traditional products, such as inoculants that help plants fix nitrogen. There is also progress in mastering the formulation of new bio-inputs, such as bio-fertilizers that promote plant growth and bio-pesticides for pest control. Lastly, the next generation of bio-inputs composed of phytovaccines promises to help prepare plants’ immune systems against the attack of pathogenic fungi and bacteria, while bio-herbicides can potentially reduce the use of synthetic herbicides to prepare fields for harvest. Domestic companies based in Argentina and Brazil play an important role in these innovations that can underpin bio-economy growth in developing countries.