Research shows socio-economic status of impact investment initiative

The Amazon Biodiversity Fund invested in Cacau Amazonia and created an innovative index to measure social-economic status of rural producers in Rondônia, Brazil.

Cacau Amazônia + (CA+) aims to promote sustainable cacao cultivation by supplying high quality seedlings, technical support, infrastructure and training, while also facilitating carbon-credit sales and Payment for Environmental Services (PES). The project is implemented with the support of Rioterra – Amazon Innovation Center. This approach seeks to strengthen rural livelihoods, reduce environmental degradation, and encourage climate change mitigation through agroforestry systems. CA+ originated from pilot projects developed by Rioterra to scale up the cacao value chain, using technological showcases implemented in past restoration initiatives.

CA+ is funded by Amazon Biodiversity Fund (ABF), an impact investment fund advised by Impact Earth and supported by the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, particularly through ABF’s impact monitoring and evaluation efforts. Cacau Amazônia+ was chosen as a pilot for TerraSocio, a methodology that measures social, economic, and environmental impacts. The study was funded by the Soros Economic Development Fund.