Bringing back forest to degraded land and improving livelihoods of smallholder farmers
Known as one of the world’s ‘megadiverse’ countries, India is home to a huge variety of diverse forests, from tropical to alpine, and home to 8% of the world’s known flora and fauna. Despite India’s forests providing invaluable ecosystem services, the country continues to lose them at a rapid rate. When forests are destroyed, wildlife suffers from the loss of vital habitat, and carbon stored in the tree's biomass is released into the atmosphere - contributing to the warming of our planet.
To learn more about the Sustainable Development Goals verified by the standard for this project, please check the project's registry link above.
Covering an area of over 14,900 hectares across three Indian states, the Forest Farms project works with over 12,000 smallholder farmers to plant and nurture new-growth eucalyptus forests throughout the country. By channeling carbon finance to farmers in the states of Odisha, Andra Pradesh, and Chattisgarh, the project provides sustainable income streams that do not rely on cutting down the forest.
By collaborating with small-holder farmers, who would not be able to reforest land without the financial support of the initiative, the project can reforest multiple states across the country, tackling the dual issues of deforestation and climate change. New job opportunities and training sessions related to planting techniques, replanting & nursery techniques are created, additionally leading to the upskilling of local workers.
