Costa Rica took another step towards consolidating its leadership in environmental innovation in Cartago on 3 July, honouring farms participating in the Recarbonization of Global Agricultural Soils (RECSOIL) pilot, an initiative that strengthens soil health and lays the groundwork for the development of the national Payment for Environmental Services (PES) mechanism for agricultural soils.
Led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) through the Global Soil Partnership, with financial support from PhosAgro, RECSOIL is implemented in Costa under the FAO-UNDP Scaling up Climate Ambition on Land Use and Agriculture through Nationally Determined Contributions and National Adaptation Plans (SCALA) programme, promoting sustainable management and the recarbonization of agricultural soils across 32 of Costa Rica’s cantons.
Nature-based solutions for sustainable agrifood systems
The formal recognition of and payments to farmers participating in the RECSOIL pilot is a milestone in the development of a public policy instrument that rewards farmers who manage agricultural soils sustainably. In particular, the PES mechanism will provide an economic incentive that strengthens the national climate agenda and contributes to the fulfilment of the NDC, NAP, the Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMA), and the country's strategies for a more resilient, competitive, and low-emission agricultural sector. The experience developed through RECSOIL builds a strong evidence base for scaling up PES mechanisms, contributing to Costa Rica's NDC 2025–2035 targets while positioning the country as an international reference point for nature-based solutions to transform agrifood systems.
"Environment and agriculture cannot be separated; they always go hand in hand,” according to Costa Rica’s Vice Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Fernando Vargas Pérez. “These incentives seek to recognize producers who are doing things right and represent the possibility of capitalizing on the carbon generated by sustainably managed agricultural farms".
RECSOIL in Costa Rica
RECSOIL currently engages 67 farms located across 32 cantons of the country, primarily in coffee production and livestock systems. Over the past three years, pilot participants have implemented sustainable soil management practices, generated technical information, and strengthened their capacities to advance toward more resilient, efficient, and sustainable production systems. Natalia Rodriguez Eugenio, FAO Land and Water Officer and member of the Global Soil Partnership Secretariat (GSP), saluted their efforts. “The producers who are part of this first RECSOIL pilot are the main protagonists of this success,” she said. “They have committed to caring for their soils because they know that healthy soil is the foundation for more productive, more resilient production systems, offering better opportunities for future generations".
Co-designing as an enabler of agricultural innovation
One of the pilot's key achievements has been the co-design of the national PES mechanism for soil, led by FAO through the Global Soil Partnership in close coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG), the National Forestry Financing Fund (FONAFIFO), and strategic partners, such as the Coffee Institute of Costa Rica (ICAFE) and the Cooperative DosPinos, articulated through the joint FAO–UNDP SCALA framework.
The SCALA programme, jointly implemented by FAO and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has contributed to strengthening technical capacities, fostering inter-institutional coordination, mobilizing private sector actors, and generating action-based evidence to accelerate transformative climate solutions in the agriculture and land-use sectors.
Kifah Sasa Marín, UNDP Assistant Resident Representative, highlighted how the multistakeholder partnership model championed by SCALA and used to develop the PES mechanism is key in bringing about the changes needed to address global challenges such as climate change and ecosystem degradation.
More to come
With an innovative PES–RECSOIL model that integrates science, public policy, and sustainable production, Costa Rica is an example of how to leverage soils as allies against climate change. As the model proves scalable and replicable, the question now is: Who’s next? Find out more on the RECSOIL and SCALA programme webpages.