About Us

Planting Empowerment (PE) grew from the belief that there exists an ecologically and economically sustainable manner for Panamanian peasant farmers to maximize the benefit from their most valuable asset, their land. PE was founded by four former Peace Corps Volunteers, each of whom lived and worked for two to three years among Panama’s poorest.  Based upon our 15+ years combined experience and the input of our Panamanian partners, the founders of Planting Empowerment are crafting a better approach--a way to satisfy the economic needs of rural Panamanians while at the same time benefiting from sustainable timber production.

Planting Empowerment leases titled land from poor rural Panamanians to plant and maintain sustainable mixed species hardwood timber plantations. Planting Empowerment is the link between these poor landowners and investors seeking a socially and environmentally responsible holding. PE's sister organization plants, maintains, and harvests and sells the timber over a 25 year investment cycle. Planting Empowerment recently completed its second 25 acre plantation and now maintains 50 acres of timber plantations that include more than 13 different commercial species. Building on the support and interest of our local land and community partners, Planting Empowerment hopes to expand and involve other community members looking to gain the most from their scarce resources.
 
What distinguishes Planting Empowerment from other reforestation businesses is our innovative land-lease model. Unlike most forestry businesses that buy land outright from subsistence farmers and displace them, (and encourage them to homestead old-growth forest), PE leasess a portion of their land to reforest. The monthly lease payment provides much needed steady income, and encourages them to become better stewards of their land. The farmers’ incentive now is to conserve, not deforest.