Monica Araya

Climate innovator who pioneered carbon-negative agriculture in Central America

Monica Araya (born 1970) is a Costa Rican environmental economist whose work in renewable energy and sustainable agriculture has transformed climate policy. As founder of Nivela (2013), she developed the first carbon-negative coffee farming model, which captures 1.5 tons of CO2 per hectare annually. Her 2015 initiative to integrate agroforestry practices into Costa Rica's national coffee production guidelines increased soil carbon by 30% across 200,000 hectares.

In 2018, she launched the 'Climate Action Accelerator' to support 50+ Latin American startups in clean energy and reforestation. Her 2020 development of blockchain-based carbon credits for small farmers created new income streams while sequestering 10,000+ tons of CO2 annually. Araya's 2021 partnership with the UNDP established the first regional biochar certification standard, now adopted in 7 Central American countries.

Her 2022 'Green Bonds for Smallholders' program provided $20 million in climate financing to 5,000+ farms. Araya's work in 2023 to create a transboundary mangrove restoration initiative between Costa Rica and Nicaragua has protected 150 km of coastline while absorbing 25,000 tons of CO2 yearly. Her pioneering 2016 solar microgrid project in rural Talamanca provides clean energy to 30,000 households while reducing diesel consumption by 90%.