Economic Viability Tool (EVT)

The Economic Viability Tool (EVT) was developed to help address one of the biggest challenges in responsible community forest management: the difficulty of generating enough income to cover operational costs and pursue FSC certification. Many community forestry operations struggle to be profitable, and the EVT helps identify both the barriers that need to be addressed and the opportunities that can be leveraged to enhance the benefits forests provide to local livelihoods. 

Importantly, the economic viability analysis goes beyond profitability alone, although profitability analysis may be considered if expected by CFF stewards and if information is available. EVT primary focus is to understand the current and potential socioeconomic landscape of the community, enabling and disabling conditions, and the situation of the forestry organization within the value chain.

Originally designed for communities, the EVT is also adaptable for SLIMF users, with adjustments to fit specific contexts. 

Through its participatory methodology, the EVT helps its users to share, learn, debate, and validate their data, promoting communities and organizations to make informed decisions to:

• Identify and enhance some visible and hidden benefits of their forests and other natural resources.
• Prioritize options to improve livelihoods in the landscape, forest management and the situation of the forestry operation in the value chain. 

By promoting data-based decision making with inclusion and self-determination (key elements often missing in past certification efforts), EVT can also support engagement between CFF Stewards and investors, civil society, and government agencies. It is a flexible tool that can be used at different phases of forest management and business development, and it plays a key role in FSC’s broader strategy to support community and family forest stewards.

What does CFF Stewards and their partners require to implement the EVT?

The first cycle of EVT implementation, aimed at obtaining a baseline, requires 3-9 CFF Stewards members to form a focus group to lead the process and two facilitators to guide it, in a timeframe of over four months: 

• Months 1–2: Outreach and engagement with users (Step 1) 
• Months 3–4: Data collection, systematization and sharing of results, validation, collective decision making and reporting (Steps 2, 3 & 4). 

From the second cycle of EVT implementation onwards, CFF stewards obtain data for Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) outcomes and impacts, applying the theory of change.