ALIADOS USA

Runa Foundation works with Amazonian communities to support indigenous livelihoods and protect the Amazon rainforest. As of 2012, our goals are:

Hectares of organic certified forest gardens under sustainable management
3-year 150 5-year 500 10-year 2,000

Hectares of new formalized conservation areas created
3-year 10,000 5-year 50,000 10-year 100,000

Annual income generated for rural farmers from new economic activities
3-year $500,000 5-year $1,000,000 10-year $5,000,000

Percent of women leaders in decision-making roles throughout guayusa value chain
3-year 10% 5-year 20% 10-year 50%

Percent of youth leaders in decision-making roles throughout guayusa value chain
3-year 10% 5-year 20% 10-year 35%

Guayusa farmers with bank accounts and credit lines
3-year 5% 5-year 20% 10-year 50%

Guayusa farmers with land titles
3-year 5% 5-year 15% 10-year 30%

Income for communities generated from other sources
3-year $10,000 5-year $20,000 10-year $50,000

Fair Trade social premium fund investment in community projects by cooperatives
3-year $50,000 5-year $100,000 10-year $250,000

Guayusa research and investigations
3-year Finalize guayusa domestication guide 5-year Two scientific papers published 10-year Five scientific papers published

Public policies based in Runa Foundation research
3-year Three policies proposed 5-year One policy implemented 10-year Two policies implemented

Public-private partnerships for guayusa production
3-year Formalize Mesa de Guayusa 5-year Propose two partnerships 10-year Implements one partnership

Runa Foundation partnerships with other NGOs
3-year Three partnerships 5-year Five partnerships 10-year Seven partnerships

Through our three program areas: Livelihoods, Landscapes and Plant Research we work in partnership with indigenous communities and producer cooperatives to provide resources such as new scientific research, land management techniques, and technical and financial trainings.

Examples of near-term activities in these program areas include: dissemination of the best practices manual for the cultivation of guayusa, mapping of producer farms and conservation areas, planting native trees on farms to strengthen agroforestry systems, and training of producers and cooperative members in sustainable agricultural practices and financial literacy.

These activities all strengthen our unique approach to conservation and development in the Amazon.

At Runa Foundation we have received funding from several generous organizations including:
- MacArthur Foundation
- The Open Road Foundation
- The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture (IICA)
- The Development Bank of Latin American (CAF)
- resonsAbility Investing
- The United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
- The Rufford Foundation
- Fundación CRISFE

Our advisors include:
- Yolanda Kakabadse, Expert in conservation and nonprofit development
- Ann Veneman, Expert in international trade and agriculture
- Doug Hattaway, Expert in communications and public relations
- Michael Conroy, Expert in certification systems
- Jacob Olander, Expert in conservation finance and payments for ecosystem services
- Florencia Montagnini, Expert in tropical forestry and agroforesty systems

Our team includes:
Executive Director - Eliot Logan-Hines
Regional Director - Ian Cummins
Director of Evaluation and Development - Sydney Nilan
Assistant Program Manager - Raine Donohue
Administrative Assistant - Carlos Tunay
Local Field Extension Technician - Leonidas Narvaez
Local Field Extension Technician - Enrique Dahua
Accounting and Administrative Assistant - Ana Lucia Arizo

Our partners include:
Ministerio de Coordinación de la Producción, Empleo y Competitividad
Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganaderia, Acuacultura y Pesca
Ministerio del Ambiente
Global Citizen Year
Amazon Conservation Association
Proworld
University of Pretoria
ChromaDex
Universidad de San Francisco de Quito
Yale University

In 2014 Runa Foundation published the Guayusa Best Practices Manual for small-scale farmers that summarizes the findings of our research for the past five years. In 2014, Runa's Guayusa Trail was named one of the "Worlds Hottest New Experiences for 2015" by The Lonely Planet Guide. We are collaborating with two organizations: Rios Nete in Peru and Naku in Ecuador, to build centers that will help share the healing power of the Amazon and use these traditional methods to address health problems facing the global community today. We have carried out the planning process for creating a new guayusa value chain in Peru; we are carrying out a Pilot Project with six communities in the Peruvian upper Amazon. In the first half of 2014, Runa Foundation provided Fair Trade training workshops to guayusa producer association leaders. These workshops focused on transmitting knowledge and providing tools to support producer compliance with Fair Trade USA (FTUSA) standards. In the second half of 2014, Runa Foundation expanded training processes into the associations themselves. By strengthening association constituencies, alongside leaders, more robust organizations can be fostered.