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Project name: Tasar Forest Carbon Project
Location: Jharkhand & West Bengal, Eastern India
Technology: AFOLU-ARR*, Afforestation, Carbon Removal
Standard: Verified Carbon Standard (VCS)
Estimated tonnes of CO2 removal: ~866,000 over project’s lifetime
Impact highlights: Women empowerment, Income generation, Carbon sink
AFOLU-ARR: The project type is Agriculture Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) and the type of activity is Afforestation, Reforestation and Revegetation (ARR).
Why ARR project in India?
This afforestation project targets rural communities living in forest-fringe villages and aims to generate income from wastelands and marginally used private lands owned by them. The plantation of silk-host trees (Terminalia Arjuna & Terminalia Tomentosa) on 2,000 hectares in Eastern India will lead to 865,983 tons of CO2 removal while reducing the pressure on existing forests.
This project will enable Tasar silk-rearing to generate sustained income for indigenous communities, the “Adivasis”, for more than 50 years through participation in the silk value chain. As a result, this project is improving livelihood for marginalized households that are frequently impacted by agricultural and food insecurity and livelihood loss. The prospect of earning income from silk rearing in the plantations serves as the primary motivation for these communities to protect and preserve them for their long-term advantage.
Impact
Women leadership
Women, especially in the rural areas in India, have been traditionally excluded from Tasar silk-rearing activities. Women make up approximately 90% of employment positions (5,000 people) created within this project. The project trains these women on technical and entrepreneurial skills needed to successfully integrate into the value-chain activities. In addition, women are given opportunities to assume leadership roles in the institutions that support the value chain.
Enhancing livelihood
Tasar silkworm rearing is an attractive and new livelihood proposition for marginalized households that own these tracts of unused lands lying fallow for many years. This additional cash income from tasar rearing stabilises household agricultural incomes that are vulnerable to yield and income losses from agriculture due to climate change.
Carbon sequestration
The plantations undertaken in the project are expected to sequester 865,983 tons of CO2 equivalent over the project’s lifetime of 20 years.
Economic growth of the community
Income Generating Activities across the Tasar silk value chain will generate 5,500 rural jobs and secure livelihoods for rural women across the value chain as silk rearers, seed rearers, reelers, spinners, and weavers.
To ensure the highest standards of impact and project progress, independent third-party verifiers will closely monitor and evaluate all the aforementioned impacts. In addition, our team of technology and project experts conducts regular site visits, reaffirming our commitment to maintaining exceptional project quality.