Yucatán Agroforestry Centre, Mexico
- DefinitionDevising project idea, defining the aim and main components
- DesignSpecifying details such as time-frame, budget, target indicators, project partners and relevant steps to reach the project objectives
- Open to FinancingSearching and securing funding and investment, setting up relevant financing partnerships, and discussing payment modalities
- ImplementationExecution of feasibility studies, context analysis, plot design, planting and setting up facilities and starting with potential capacity-building
- MaintenanceOperational phase (monitoring and evaluation, impact assessments and adjustments, execution of educational programmes and long-term capacity building)
- Scaling UpScaling up phase is when the project it has already shown success by obtaining impact as well as economic results and it's ready to become replicable.
The Yucatán Agroforestry Center (YAC) brings together regenerative citrus agroforestry model farms implemented by reNature, farmer aggregation, and on-the-ground coordination to enable scaling across the Yucatán Peninsula.
Between 2022 and 2024, reNature designed, developed, and implemented multiple citrus agroforestry systems in collaboration with Arpen, local farmer leaders, and partners IDH – Land Degradation Neutrality Technical Assistance Facility and Rabo Foundation, with strong engagement from the Instituto Tecnológico Superior del Sur del Estado de Yucatán (ITSSY).
These implemented systems demonstrate how regenerative citrus production can stabilize yields, restore degraded soils, and reduce input dependency in a drought-prone landscape.
YAC combines two critical ingredients for scalable, high-quality carbon projects:
- Proven agroforestry systems on the ground, and
- Strong farmer alignment and aggregation capacity.
Well-designed citrus agroforestry buffers climate extremes such as drought and heat, reduces pest and disease pressure, and improves nutrient efficiency through polycropping. These dynamics support durable, high-performing production systems: the foundation required for long-term agricultural resilience and credible carbon outcomes.
From Model Farms to Scaling
YAC is built around farmer cooperation and standardized implementation. Through model farms, hands-on training, and peer to peer knowledge exchange, farmers transition from individual adoption to coordinated scaling.
- 30 farmers have already transitioned ~60 ha
- A pathway is in place to scale to ~4,000 farmers and ~8,000 ha
This aggregation enables consistent implementation, efficient monitoring, and collective participation in carbon markets.
Carbon as a Scaling Mechanism
While YAC was not originally developed as a carbon project, the systems, farmer commitment, and aggregation structures now in place make it carbon-ready.
Carbon finance adds a performance-based revenue layer that:
- rewards long-term land stewardship,
- strengthens farmer commitment to agroforestry, and
- complements agricultural income rather than replacing it.
At scale, YAC is estimated to sequester ~1.4 million tons of CO₂, positioning it as a high-quality, land-based carbon project with strong economic, social, and ecological fundamentals.
*Carbon figures are indicative and will be refined through a dedicated carbon feasibility assessment following investment.
Why This Makes Sense for Investors
YAC offers investors exposure to a scalable, land-based carbon project built on implemented agricultural systems rather than theoretical pilots. The underlying citrus agroforestry systems are already delivering agronomic value at farm level (yield stability, lower input dependency, and improved land productivity).
Farmer aggregation enables standardized implementation and efficient monitoring across thousands of smallholders, lowering transaction costs and increasing the reliability of carbon credit generation. Carbon revenues provide a performance-based return layer that is largely independent of citrus price fluctuations, improving cash-flow stability and portfolio diversification.
As carbon markets increasingly favor projects with strong additionality, long-term permanence, and clear social and ecological co-benefits, YAC is well positioned to meet demand for high-quality credits. For investors, this translates into participation in a durable carbon project where agricultural resilience, farmer incentives, and environmental performance are structurally aligned, supporting long-term value creation rather than short-term volume.
Download the Investor Brief for Further Information!
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