Eco-palms: providing a sustainable commercial alternative to palms for Palm Sunday.

There is a widespread view that commercialization of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) in the tropical forests of Mesoamerica is both economically and environmentally sustainable in rural communities. Despite this belief, research shows that the harvesting and commercialization of NTFPs alone do not necessarily alleviate poverty or maintain biodiversity within rainforests. This paper describes the eco-palm program, a program which serves to sustainably harvest and export Chamaedorea palm fronds from Southern Mexico and Northern Guatemala. The eco-palm program works with churches in the United States to charge a five cent premium on palm fronds that are imported from Mexico and Guatemala annually for Palm Sunday services. Through the eco-palm program, rural harvesters are taught how to sustainably harvest the palms and subsequently reduce over-harvesting that leads to destruction of the tropical forests. Consequently, the program reduces inequitable profits to rural farmers by providing them with additional income. The eco-palm program is an example of a rapidly growing specialized market project for an NTFP and provides a potential example of an economic and environmentally sustainable trade program.