About Us

Planting Empowerment (PE) grew from the belief that there exists a sustainable way for Panamanian peasant farmers to benefit from their natural forest resources. PE was founded by four former Peace Corps Volunteers, each of whom lived and worked for two years among Panama’s poorest. There we gained a deep understanding of the political, environmental, and economic issues tied into deforestation and conservation and learned that the economic needs of the local population must be considered to make any real progress. Based upon our 15+ years combined experience, 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 timber plantations. The business 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 first 25 acre pilot project with a few forward-thinking local landowners with whom we have close ties. Building on their support and interest, 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 rents 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.  
 
How it works:
1. Planting Empowerment channels investment from socially responsible investors in the developed world to poor subsistence farmers in Panama. With this capital, we obtain long term leases on these farmers' titled land to reforest and carry out timber production, thereby providing them a steady income and offsetting their need to log virgin timber. Additionally, the farmers maintain the majority of their land to continue traditional agricultural/cattle practices.
2. PE’s management arm plants and maintains high value timber species for its investors. The species are selected based upon maximum growth potential according to the terrain, climate and soil quality. The trees are thinned and harvested periodically over a 25 year span as we closely monitor their growth.  
3. The wood from the timber plantations is sold periodically on world markets, providing the investor a competitive return. Part of Planting Empowerment’s management fee returns to the partnering landowner.