Despite a deceptively high national per-capita income, there is much poverty in Panama. The "poster child" of Panamanian poverty would be malnourished, rural and indigenous. There would be no shortage of models for such a poster; 87.7% of the rural indigenous population and 33.5% of the total rural population has been classified as suffering extreme poverty. This means they have a per-capita income of less than $470 dollars per year, insufficient to provide a minimum daily consumption of 2280 calories (Government of Panama, 1998).
At the same time, the natural resources, which sustain the rural population, and with wise use could produce an acceptable standard of living, are being depleted at an alarming rate. For reasons of climate, geographical location and topography, Panama has an apparent comparative advantage in wood and other forest products. But little has been done to develop this advantage. Often, thousands of dollars of valuable wood is burned to clear land, where less than one hundred dollars of rice or corn will be harvested.
The Agroforestry Program aims to motivate rural Panamanians to sustainably improve nutrition at the family level and better living conditions at the community level. While considering the environmental, social and economic context, the project offers information and training that will allow families to make informed decisions about the production systems and community projects which will best meet their needs.
Implemented in 1998, the Small Business Development Program focuses on Panama's rural and semi-rural communities in four development categories: Cooperative and Association Development, Women's Venture Development, Artisan Venture Development, and Entrepreneurial Venture Development. Coordinating with Panamanian government and international NGO organizations, Volunteers work to develop the hard and soft business skills of business members as well as work to improve business systems, such as implementing more accurate bookkeeping, improved marketing techniques and more active planning processes
The Community Environmental Education Program works both in the communities and the schools. The main goal of the Community Environmental Education Program is to increase knowledge and awareness of the environment and natural resources of Panama and to achieve changes of attitude, values and behavior regarding the environment among students, teachers and community members in rural areas of Panama. The challenge includes helping communities to understand and benefit from Panama's protected areas and stimulating community participation in natural resources management and defense.