ProClime HIM Evergreen Integrated Climate Smart Agriculture, and Agroforestry Program

The ProClime HIM Evergreen Sustainable Agriculture, Land Management, and Agroforestry Project promote sustainable agricultural practices to improve soil health, boost farm productivity, and enhance carbon sequestration. The Improved Crop Management (ICM) component focuses on practices such as reduced tillage, optimized nutrient management, crop residue retention, and crop diversification. These methods lower nitrogen fertilizer use, minimize fossil fuel reliance, and improve crop rotations, leading to reduced greenhouse gas emissions and increased carbon sequestration in soils.

Additionally, the project establishes agroforestry systems by planting multipurpose trees on farm boundaries and within fields. These trees enhance carbon sequestration, improve microclimates, promote soil fertility, control erosion, and diversify farmer income through timber and non-timber products. Increasing soil organic carbon enhances soil structure, water retention, and nutrient cycling, acting as a long-term carbon sink.

Methodology:

Under Verra’s VM0042 v2.2 methodology, emission reductions are achieved through improved agricultural land management (ALM) practices such as reduced tillage, optimized fertilizer use, sustainable agricultural practices, and agroforestry. These interventions enhance carbon inputs to soil and reduce greenhouse gas emissions like nitrous oxide and methane. Following are science-based approaches

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• Periodic soil sampling to track changes in carbon stocks over time.

• Baseline comparison against historical land-use practices to ensure additionality.

• This combination of field measurement and modelling ensures that carbon sequestration is quantifiable, conservative, and verifiable.

• Emission reduction: By lowering synthetic agriculture input and improving nutrient efficiency

• Above-ground biomass growth, via agroforestry systems

How It Works?

1. Project Concept & Feasibility: Define project area, boundaries, and farming systems. Assess baseline and identify improved practices. Conduct additionality assessment. Outcome is feasibility clarity, defined scope, and a structured implementation pathway.

2. Methodology & Baseline Establishment: Confirm appropriate internationally recognised methodology applicability for cropland and emission reduction potential. Establish baseline using historical data and surveys. Outcome is validated methodology fit and quantified baseline emissions/removals in tCO₂e.

3. Project Design & Validation: Prepare PDD including baseline, monitoring, safeguards, and quantification. Third-party validation reviews compliance, addressing CARs and CLs. Outcome is an approved validation report enabling project registration readiness.

4. Registration & Implementation: Register project with Verra under VCS program. Implement activities through farmer onboarding, training, and climate-smart practices adoption. Outcome is an officially registered project with operational field-level execution.

5. Monitoring & Quantification: Continuously monitor inputs, practices, and soil carbon using surveys, remote sensing, and models. Apply landscape suitable allometric equations. Outcome is robust datasets and quantified net emission reductions in tCO₂e.

6. Verification & Credit Issuance: Third-party verification confirms emission reductions. Verra issues VCUs, enabling market transactions. Revenue is distributed among stakeholders. Outcome is certified carbon credits and financial returns to project stakeholders.