AIV to Lead UK-Funded Initiative to Transform Amazonian Value Chains

Thursday, 09th July 2026

By Paula Perrelli dos Anjos

Today, at the residency of the UK ambassador, Su-Lin Garbett-Shiels, in Lima, Amazonia Impact Ventures (AIV) will be announced as the lead partner for a major UK PACT initiative designed to accelerate the Amazon bioeconomy. 

The programme, Catalysing the Amazon Bioeconomy: Transforming Sustainable Value Chains through Private Sector–Led Action, marks a significant step in AIV’s maturation as a regional actor capable of delivering complex, multi stakeholder projects across Peru’s most biodiverse territories.

Based in Loreto and Madre de Dios, the initiative focuses on three biodiversity based value chains with high conservation and market potential: Amazon nuts, aguaje and copoazú. Despite their natural wealth, these regions remain economically fragile, with producer organisations, Indigenous communities and SMEs facing barriers such as limited finance, weak organisational capacity, informality, inconsistent product quality and low visibility in national and international markets.

BIOBUSINESSES

The project addresses these constraints through technical assistance, sustainable finance, business upgrading and market integration. AIV’s interventions include identifying international buyers' expectations, logistical needs, quality standards, pain points, and barriers to scaling engagement in Amazon supply chains. 

AIV has developed bespoke technical mentoring for biobusinesses, deployment of end-to-end traceability systems, and innovative finance mechanisms to unlock growth for high potential SMEs. Collaborative workshops will convene public, private and community actors to resolve structural bottlenecks, while marketing content will position Amazonian products internationally. 

The project will support more than 10 SMEs, producer organisations and Indigenous communities, as well as over 50 Brazil nut concessionaires, strengthening the commercialisation of certified, high-quality products. In addition, it will promote investments in value-added products (like oils and butters), generating new income streams for forest dependent families.

PUBLIC AND PRIVATE

The programme is private sector led, recognising that competitive and sustainable value chains are most effective when driven by market actors, with public institutions playing an enabling role.

“Our position as lead partner reflects our growing credibility in the Amazon bioeconomy. Over recent years, we have built a reputation for combining rigorous investment practice with deep field knowledge, supported by our technical assistance programmes. ” said Aldo Soto, AIV’s Co-founder and Managing Director.“We are deeply grateful for the support of the UK Government, which is helping unlock sustainable investment and accelerate the growth of resilient value chains across the Amazon.”

The project will also support Peru’s Bioeconomy Roadmap by generating evidence-based case studies of successful value chains, helping inform policy and demonstrate pathways for scaling market-led, sustainable models.

By combining private sector leadership, community collaboration and targeted investment, the project aims to generate systemic change in the Peruvian Amazon, strengthening forest-based livelihoods and positioning biodiversity-based products in global markets. 

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#AmazonBioeconomy #TechnicalAssistance #SustainableFinance #ImpactInvesting #NatureBasedSolutions #UKPact #UKGovernment