Challenge:
Forest ecosystems in the Global South face deforestation, degradation, and economic under utilization. At the same time, local housing deficits and economic needs persist, often without solutions that align with climate resilience or forest sustainability.
Solution:
Established in 2020, the Climate Smart Forest Economy Program (CSFEP) partners with various stakeholders in low- and middle-income countries in the Global South to develop regional forest product industries that support forests, local prosperity, as well as climate change adaptation and mitigation.
CSFEP uses a forest-first, collaborative approach to ensure that forest product industries that:
● Reverse a trend of deforestation and forest degradation by providing revenue to sustainably manage some forests, protect others, and support all forests to adapt to a changing climate.
● Build resilient, climate-smart, regenerative, and sustainable forest economies that use biobased materials that are accessible and affordable for all.
● Create thriving local small businesses along forest economy value chains, supporting many industries and creating sustainable, resilient green jobs.
From inception, CSFEP is an ecosystem enabler that works at local level while sharing learnings for global impact. In the early days of the program, CSFEP supported fifteen (15) of what it called Breakthrough Initiatives, activities in Global South countries that were exciting and exhibited the potential economic, environmental, and social benefits of climate-smart forest economies. Some examples include:
● Co-designing a national climate-smart forest economy that honors Bhutan’s forests while also addressing the country’s current housing crisis in partnership with the Bhutanese national government, Bauhaus Earth and Arup.
● Helping two local start-ups in Kenya and Uganda build proofs of concept for building homes using timber with potential to scale this for the mass market to address pressing housing deficits.
● Partnering with Cassa Guatemala to teach residents of rural, climate-vulnerable communities in Guatemala to build low-carbon, climate-resilient houses from locally farmed bamboo.
Informed by learnings from these Breakthrough Initiatives, CSFEP officially launched the Biobased Construction East Africa Coalition. The Coalition convenes tree growers, manufacturers, investors, architects, property developers, engineers, researchers, and policymakers in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda to tackle challenges in the biobased construction sector that slow innovation and sustainable market growth. The Coalition members believe working together is key to building a regenerative forest economy — one that balances ecosystem, social, and economic needs.
In line with CSFEP’s focus on continuous, local learning and applying those learnings for global impact, CSFEP will test the effectiveness of the collaborative approach in a new region once the East Africa Coalition is achieving early success. By 2027, CSFEP expects to have standardised the coalition model for scale and launched three more coalitions across the Global South.
CSFEP is an independent program that is fiscally sponsored by Dalberg Catalyst. Axum’s leadership and staff have worked with CSFEP on various engagements since 2020, including helping to design the initial program strategy and organisational model and running the program management office during the early days of CSFEP. Devang Vussonji was part of CSFEP’s Steering Committee, which was dissolved in 2024, and now sits in CSFEP’s Advisory Council alongside six other individuals who serve as thought partners to CSFEP.
Impact:
CSFEP is building momentum for climate-smart forest economies that prioritize both ecological integrity and community prosperity. The East Africa Coalition is serving as a learning ground for collaborative systems-building, with plans to replicate this model in three additional regions by 2027. Through place-based collaboration and global learning, CSFEP is laying the groundwork for more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable forest economies across the Global South.