Developing Voluntary Carbon Market Projects for Agroforestry Plantations in Kanpur Forest Circle, Uttar Pradesh

The project is designed to promote sustainable agroforestry by encouraging tree plantation on agricultural lands, while generating measurable climate mitigation benefits and enhancing rural livelihoods. Implemented as an Afforestation, Reforestation, and Revegetation initiative under the Voluntary Carbon Market framework, it focuses on establishing tree plantations to enhance carbon sequestration, improve farm productivity, and deliver co-benefits such as biodiversity conservation and soil health restoration.

As part of project implementation, TERI, in collaboration with the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department, conducted a stakeholder consultation and capacity-building workshop on 6 January 2025 at the Forestry Training Institute, Kanpur for frontline staff and forest officials of the Kanpur Forest Circle. The programme covered key aspects of carbon project development, including carbon pools, biomass estimation, data requirements, project implementation frameworks, and the application of remote sensing and GIS tools.

The project is currently under implementation, with ongoing farmer mobilization, stakeholder consultations, and plantation data collection across the Kanpur Forest Circle. It aims to generate tradable carbon credits, thereby providing additional income opportunities for farmers while delivering long-term environmental and socio-economic benefits.