THE GREAT FARM HUSTLE

Agroforestry is fast emerging as a win-win strategy to mitigate climate change and improve farmers' income. It is particularly so in India, home to one-fifth of the agroforestry carbon projects in the world. Over the past months ROHINI KRISHNAMURTHY has travelled to almost 20 villages across the country to understand how this market works. At all locations, she finds that communities and their land and labour are central to the projects. But they do not always benefit from the carbon revenue

- ROHINI KRISHNAMURTHY

There was a palpable and building sense of unease at the residence of Arun Dutta Kadale upon enquiring about his mahogany plantation. Spread over 1 hectare (ha) at Navingar village in Maharashtra's Pune district, the plantation is part of an agroforestry project that generates carbon credits. Kadale hopes to earn ₹61,750 a year from these carbon credits.

For the uninitiated, carbon credits are issued against activities that either abate (such as by using an efficient cookstove or lighting system) or remove (for instance, by planting trees) greenhouse gases (GHGS) from the atmosphere. Each tonne of carbon dioxide or the equivalent GHGS (CO,e) avoided or removed generates one carbon credit, which is then bought by businesses that wish to offset their emissions or meet climate goals. "I set up the plantation in 2019, after one Pune-based Mahogani Vishwa Agro Private Limited (MVAPL) approached me and said I could earn more by participating in its carbon credit backed agroforestry programme.

It promised a cash incentive of ₹25,000 a year from 2024, apart from ₹2.75 crore from the sale of mahogany timber when the trees mature at 15 years. But I have not received the money yet," Kadale said when Down To Earth (DTE) met him at his residence in November 2024, adding quickly, "I am confident that the company will deliver on its promise."