Land-use planning and financial innovation to increase Mexico’s resilience to climate change

The impacts of climate change threaten the livelihoods of Mexican small farmers. Therefore the project promotes adaptation, restoration and conservation of rural landscapes to increase their resilience and to ensure food security and local income. It helps small farmers in the states of Campeche, Tabasco, Chiapas, Jalisco, Michoacan, Oaxaca, Puebla, Hidalgo and Tlaxcala to adapt and to increase their production. Ecosystem-based adaptation strategies include sustainable production and integrated land use planning approaches that equally take into account food, forest, biodiversity and climate change. Innovative finance mechanisms support this process. The project also promotes land use management policies at national and sub-national level to help Mexico to achieve its goals in the areas of SDGs, NDCs and biodiversity.

Project data

Countries: Mexico
IKI funding: 21,457,627.03 €
Included preparation phase: 21,457,627.03 €
Duration: 10/2022 till 09/2027
Status: open
Implementing organisation: World Resources Institute (WRI)
Political Partner: Ministry for Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER) - Mexico

National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR) - Mexico

National Institute of Ecology and Climate Change (INECC) - Mexico

Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT)- Mexico
Implementing Partner: Centro de Transporte Sustentable de México, A.C. (WRI México)

GAIA (Grupo Autonomo para Investigacion Ambiental)

Inter-American Development Bank (IADB / IDB / BID)

International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)

International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) – Regional Office for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean (ORMACC)

Natura y Ecosistemas Mexicanos (Natura)

The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture (IICA)
Online: https://wrimexico.org/our-work/projects/saberes

https://saberesmx.org/

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State of implementation/results

Between October 2024 and March 2025, the project team achieved the following major milestones for the project (called "SAbERES"):

GAIA, IICA, IUCN initiated the implementation of Climate Change Adaptation Plans (PACC) with their respective organizations in the field, including training activities, hiring of local technicians and implementing EbA practices in the project’s 11 production systems.
NATURA MEXICANA produced the first 4 PACCs for organizations in the Lacandon region of Chiapas through an intermediate consultancy.
The working groups (Mesas de Diálogo) with the state governments made significant progress at the close of 2024 and beginning of 2025. During that time, the project team worked with environmental, agricultural and rural development officials from the states of Hidalgo, Michoacan, Jalisco, Puebla, Tlaxcala, Oaxaca, Tabasco, Chiapas and Campeche. In Tlaxcala, a Climate Change Adaptation Working Group was officially established within the State's Intersecretarial Commission on Climate Change, and similar working groups are expected to be established in other states.
IIASA continued programming the SAbERES App and the IMPLT tool (now called PIAS). To this end, the team held meetings in Oaxaca and Mexico City in October and November 2024. Discussions are currently underway with SADER (Ministry of Agriculture) so that these tools can be used in their work with state governments and the implementation of government programs.
The first field monitoring plots were established with GAIA and IICA.
The Smallholder Adaptation Capacity Index is under peer review and is expected to be published and ready for global dissemination in June 2025.
GITEC held seven learning sessions with the assistance of small producers' organizations. An estimated 170 producers and technicians participated in the events.
The Environmental and Social Management System (SGAS), the Social and Environmental Action Plan, and the Gender, Equity and Inclusion Action Plan were completed in September 2024. This framework was rescheduled for implementation beginning in the first half of 2025.
Five territorial governance frameworks were established (SICOBI - Oaxaca, Grupo Vicente Guerrero - Tlaxcala, Magueyal - Hidalgo, Reserva de la Mariposa Monarca - Michoacan, and UZACHI - Oaxaca). GAIA and IUCN are taking the first steps to establish programs to strengthen these governance spaces.
The project team held trainings for Tlaxcala and Michoacan government officials on climate change adaptation in agriculture and livestock farming.
The next training sessions are currently being scheduled for the rest of the states where the project is being implemented.
The Independent Complaint Mechanism (IKI ICM) was published on SAbERES’s website in October 2024.