A SMALL AMAZON BASIC-INCOME PILOT CUT REPORTED FOOD INSECURITY FROM 73% TO 26%.
Economic security and rainforest stewardship rose together in three Indigenous communities—but the pilot had no control group.
For two years, 211 people in three Asháninka communities in Peru received unconditional transfers of 1,032 soles—about £2 per day—alongside community-led training in finance, rights, governance and conservation. University of Bath analysis reported gains in food security, savings, wellbeing and environmental participation.
WHAT HAPPENED
Households unable to afford nutritious food reportedly fell from 73% to 26%; meal skipping fell from 49% to 22%; and 70% of households could save, up from 49%. Nearly 90% of participants reported adopting practices such as native reforestation, protecting water sources and reducing forest burning. The share leaving home for outside work fell from 43% to 18%.
WHY THIS IS HOPESLOP
The pilot challenges the idea that people and forests must compete for security. When families had more room to plan, participants reported both better daily wellbeing and more capacity for collective stewardship. The design is too small to prove scale, but it offers a serious, testable model that places Indigenous autonomy at the center.
ORIGINAL SOURCEUniversity of Bath / Cool EarthRead the original report
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