全球智库信息集成服务系统

Forest business incubation is a support process that accelerates the successful development of sustainable businesses in forest landscapes. While more than 7,000 business incubators exist worldwide, few serve forest landscapes. Low densities of educated entrepreneurs, high logistical costs, scarce infrastructure to distant markets, and few capable business mentors present major challenges. Yet there is much to play for.

The aggregate gross annual value from smallholder producers within forest landscapes may be as much as US$1.3 trillion. And it is difficult to see how the Paris Climate Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals will be implemented without better forest business incubation that strengthens economic inclusion for forest and farm producer organisations (FFPOs), increases rural incomes, diversifies those incomes to improve climate resilience, and incentivises forest restoration and sustainable management to mitigate climate change.

Forest business incubation is also needed to help meet market demand for vital products in sectors such as green energy, low-carbon construction, nutritious food, medicines, cosmetics and ecosystem services. It can also help pool lower-risk investment opportunities for financiers. But how can forest business incubation deliver a win-win-win for the economy, society and the environment? That is the question that this book seeks to answer – drawing on established literature and 11 forest business incubator case studies from Asia, Africa and Latin America.