Strengthning Rural Livelihoods of Smallholder Farmers in Tribal Districts of Odisha, India

Project

Project Background
Despite being mineral rich, these districts wherer the project is implemented are still economically backward. The tribal communities in these districts have been traditionally practicing shifting cultivation of subsistence crops like millets and pulses supplemented by collection of forest fruits, roots, honey etc. However, destruction of forests due to commercial over-exploitation over the last 3 to 4 decades has decreased the productivity of the soil. This has severely threatened the well-being of the tribal community who depend on agriculture and forest for their livelihood, forcing them to be bonded and migrant laborer’s; increasing their indebtedness, and exploitation of forest produce for income. The fragile eco-system of the upland tribal regions has also been affected by deforestation and rampant shifting cultivation practice, causing extensive soil erosion, reducing the capacity of land to rejuvenate and affecting natural vegetation and water resources

Social and Economic Benefits:
Restoration of barren uplands which are private lands of individual farmers through plantation of forest and fruit tree species. It will not only help in improving the biodiversity of the area and sequestering carbon in the long run but also improve the livelihoods of the communities through optimal utilization of available resource.

Providing sustainable income earning opportunity to the farmers by linking sericulture with Asana and Arjuna plantation, intercropping with high value vegetable crops, and working on the value chain of horticulture produce. The project increases the income level of the farmers by more than 60% annually

Ecological development by taking up in-situ soil moisture conservation measures like 30-40 and 5% model, field bunding, land development and creation of irrigation potential. One borewell will be taken up for every 10 acres patch with a solar pump to take care of irrigation for the saplings as well as intercrops. Adding organic compost and adoption of practices such as mulching will also be taken up for improving soil quality

Methodology:
The project quantifies the GHG removals occurring from plantations using the ACM0003 methodology: “Afforestation and reforestation project activities implemented on lands other than wetlands”, Version 02.0 developed under the Clean Development Mechanism for large-scale plantations. The project plans to generate carbon credits for the voluntary market under the VCS standard.

Baseline scenario:
The baseline scenario of the project area with farmland locations in Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj districts of Odisha. This is also the most likely use of the project areas, without the project activity: The land of individual farmers as proposed in the project is mainly upland and remains fallow throughout the year, The productivity of these land is low and there is soil erosion too because of the slope, Around 10 % of the people take up upland paddy, pulses and oilseeds in these lands and it is also used for grazing of cattle after the kharif season, In case the carbon project is not taken up in this area, it will continue to remain fallow and the erosion will further deteriorate the soil quality and hence the productivity of the land.

Monitoring Plan:
Fair Climate Fund India intends to use satellite data to improve transparency in the project. The satellite imagery would provide a histiry of the growth of the plantataion, canopy coverm health of the plantataion, and the total expected carbon credits that can be generated. In addition, Fair Climate would conduct periodic audits of the plantation and submit a progress report to investors once every quarter. The governance structure would have FCF India, investors, Shrishti, and the forest department and sericulture department at the top, followed by team leaders, field executives, and block level executies. The next line includes Tasar Vikas Samiti at the panchayat level who are responsible for following up on the field level progress and monitoring labour participation under various goverrnment schemes. The last level of project governance structure include women community leaders who work wih the farmers on a daily basis to make it a sustainable project

Project Distinguishers:
Providing sustainable income earning opportunity to the farmers by linking sericulture with Asana and Arjuna plantation, intercropping with high value vegetable crops, and working on the value chain of horticulture produce

Building strong community resource through promotion of women led institutions, continuously investing on their vision building exercise, giving the farmers exposure to plantations of different age groups, training on correct method of planting and maintenance, showing them videos on the same to continuously motivate them and build their knowledge and skills to take up plantation in their individual plots.

Additionality:
The proposed project is located in the State of Odisha lying in the eastern part of India. The lands selected for the project are degraded barren uplands belonging to individual farmers. They have no additional incentives to plant trees on these lands. Without carbon incentives and financial aids of carbon investments, lifetime of project activity would be shorter and the strong monitoring procedure could not be applied. Conclusion: The proposed AFOLU-ARR project activity is not the baseline and hence it is additional. Referring to the baseline scenario, additionality has been demonstrated through addressing the various barriers as mentioned below:

The private patta land or the uplands of individual farmers have been considered for plantation of forest and fruit tree species which would otherwise have been left barren. It will not only help in improving the biodiversity of the area and sequestering carbon in the long run but also provide income earning opportunity to the farmers on a sustainable basis.
The project will take care of all the inputs including vision building, training and exposure, labour cost, fencing, quality saplings, organic compost, land development, irrigation infrastructure and cattle proof trench thus overcoming the investment barrier.
The project will specifically take care to overcome the technological barrier by continuously investing on vision building exercise, giving the farmers exposure to plantations of different age groups, training on correct method of planting and maintenance, showing them videos on the same to continuously motivate them and build their knowledge and skills to take up plantation in their individual plots.
The ecological barriers will be overcome by land development, taking up in-situ soil moisture conservation measures like 30-40 and 5% model and field bunding. One borewell will be taken up for every 10 acres patch with a solar pump to take care of irrigation for the saplings as well as intercrops. Adding organic compost and adoption of practices such as mulching will also be taken up for improving soil quality.

Leakage:
Leakage is not expected to occur in the project area due to the project activities, so it is deemed to be zero. The plantation is being established in non-forest areas, as explained in the eligibility section. The principal activity that could cause leakage is agriculture, if farmers would move from the project area to new areas. Nevertheless, the project will be established primarily in barren uplands of individual farmers within the project area. In this case, there will be no displacement that may cause leakage.