Payments for ecosystem services (PES) to smallholder farmers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) can increase and diversify farmers’ income while also incentivizing practices for ecosystem services, including climate change mitigation and adaptation. The world’s 480 million smallholder farmers produce one third of the world’s food supply on one quarter of global agricultural area and often earn less than USD 1.25/day. Yet schemes for paying smallholder farmers in LMICs for ecosystem services have been limited.

The CompensACTION Initiative seeks to promote PES innovation at large scales to increase the incomes of smallholder farmers in LMICs while incentivizing climate action and environmental outcomes. The Initiative has five objectives:

1. Increase and diversify the incomes of smallholder men and women farmers, while also supporting long-term investment by farmers.
2. Incentivize practices for sustainable farming practices that lead to resilient and low-emission food systems, as well as other ecosystem services on- and off-farm.
3. Deliver co-benefits with compensation mechanisms such as improved credit ratings and easy access to finance for farmers.
4. Diversify financial instruments and increase public and private funding in addition to climate finance.
5. Attract international climate finance for adaptation and mitigation action in the agricultural sector that leads to improved ecosystem services maintenance.