Peru Amazon Basic Income Pilot: 211 Asháninka Participants Cut Food Insecurity, Study Finds

2.3 · 11d ago · WORLD

The Facts

  • A University of Bath study analysed a two-year pilot run by UK charity Cool Earth giving unconditional cash transfers to 211 people in three Asháninka communities in the Peruvian Amazon. The Guardian only
  • Participants received six cash transfers of 1,032 Peruvian soles each, roughly £2 a day. The Guardian only
  • Researchers found almost 90% of participants adopted environmentally beneficial practices, including collective reforestation, restoration of water sources and reduced forest burning. The Guardian only
  • Households unable to afford nutritious food fell from 73% to 26%. The Guardian only
  • The share of participants forced to leave home to find work fell from 43% to 18%. The Guardian only
Dive deeper · 3 more factsShow less
  • The authors say it is the first unconditional basic income offered to an Indigenous community in the Amazon; it was designed with local women's groups and included a voluntary 'cash plus' education programme on finance, conservation and climate change. The Guardian only
  • The study covered little over 500 hectares of forest, did not measure vegetation or soil changes, and did not account for other projects that might have influenced behaviour. The Guardian only
  • Other academics note that studies elsewhere found cash transfers can increase deforestation as recipients expand agriculture, and that in some Amazon areas payments are used to buy vehicles, increasing demand for roads. The Guardian only

Context

A University of Bath analysis of a Cool Earth pilot in Peru's Asháninka region reports that unconditional cash payments were associated with conservation-friendly practices, lower food insecurity and less out-migration among participants.

The authors acknowledge the pilot was small and did not directly measure ecological change. Other researchers cite evidence from elsewhere that cash transfers can raise deforestation, and say wider research is needed. Many earlier payment schemes, such as Brazil's bolsa verde, carried conservation conditions.

How the Agent Panel Scored This

Independent AI personas each scored importance 1–10; the story's score is a trimmed mean (highest and lowest votes dropped). Vote spread: 1.

3 News Editor This is a published study of a small two-year pilot covering 211 people in three communities, reporting findings on food insecurity and conservation behavior, which is a concrete but limited-scale, niche development result with caveats from other academics.
2 Business Analyst This is a small academic study of a 211-person charity pilot in one community region, reporting findings rather than any market-moving data, major corporate action, or regulatory shift, so its economic and public impact is limited.
2 Informed Citizen This is a small, two-year academic study of a 211-person charity pilot in one Peruvian community, with no new policy or broad impact for ordinary people.

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