Introducing the AIRE Framework – Version 2.0: From Ecosystem Functions to Investment Readiness
Updated: 6 November 2026
How can improvements in soil, water, biodiversity, carbon and landscape management be translated into credible evidence, meaningful incentives and investment opportunities that benefit both ecosystems and people?
CRAFS is pleased to share Version 2.0 of the AIRE Framework – Agroecology-to-Investment Readiness for Ecosystem Services, an independent conceptual working paper developed by Dr. Bui Le Vinh.
AIRE addresses a persistent “missing middle” between nature-positive practices and investment readiness. Agroecology, climate-smart agriculture, circular production systems and nature-based solutions can improve ecosystem conditions and generate valuable services. However, these benefits do not automatically translate into investment opportunities. Evidence gaps, unclear priorities, fragmented institutions, weak incentives and financing constraints can prevent promising approaches from progressing beyond individual projects and demonstrations.
Version 2.0 further develops AIRE into a structured, screening-level framework connecting six stages:
Natural Capital Assets & Condition → Nature-positive & Agroecological Management → Ecosystem Services & Benefits → Assessment & Prioritization → Investment Readiness → Resilient Productive Systems.
The revised framework brings together seven ecological and productive system flows, five cross-cutting readiness conditions, and three complementary investment-readiness pathways covering evidence and MRV, incentives and finance, and investment prioritization and packaging.
It also introduces a practical 4P interpretation — Practice, Proof, Prioritization and Payment/Investment — and a five-step screening approach to help identify critical readiness gaps, priority interventions and requirements for further project preparation.
AIRE is intended to support early-stage natural-capital assessment, ecosystem-service analysis, spatial prioritization, PES and nature-finance readiness, and the preparation of nature-positive investment concepts. Its potential applications extend across agrifood landscapes, watersheds, agroforestry systems, restoration areas and coastal environments.
AIRE remains an independent, evolving conceptual framework, not a substitute for specialized ecological assessment, natural-capital accounting, financial appraisal or investment due diligence. Further application, practitioner feedback and empirical testing will inform its continued development.
Download the AIRE Framework – Version 2.0 (PDF): AIRE_Framework_GMS2030_Application_BuiLeVinh_Oct2026
Bui Le Vinh (2026). From Ecosystem Functions to Investment-Ready Systems: The AIRE Framework – Agroecology-to-Investment Readiness for Ecosystem Services. CRAFS Conceptual Working Paper, Version 2.0. Vietnam National University of Agriculture.
Tiếng Việt