The TIKONEL Association is an organization focused on small and medium-sized enterprises, founded in 2000 in San Martín Jilotepeque, Chimaltenango. It began in 1994 with a forestry project in the community of “Sacalá,” carrying out activities in nurseries to establish forest plantations. Its name comes from the K’aqchikel word tikonel, which means “sower.” It currently brings together 108 communities across 7 municipalities, and its mission is to facilitate development initiatives within value chains, the management and conservation of natural resources distributed across communities nationwide, with a special emphasis on the volcanic range of Guatemala’s western highlands. It comprises 11 grassroots local organizations dedicated to community-based management and forest conservation, as well as 18 micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises in forestry and agroforestry value chains. It is dedicated to ecosystem protection, the sustainable use of natural resources, nature-based alternatives to a carbon-intensive economy, and green entrepreneurship.

Another initiative undertaken by Tikonel involves working with forestry regulatory agencies to develop public policies aimed at implementing financial mechanisms that provide forestry incentives to producers with small plots of land.

The association operates a company, Corazón del Tejido, run by women’s groups that produce and market textile products under the Rukux Q’em brand. Currently, about 60 women participate in and benefit from the production of various textiles, which are also combined with wood products.