4. Harvest provides income and
helps fights climate change
Maturity
of trees
The
different species will mature and produce oilseeds in a
staggered way as shown in the chart below for 1 hectare
of land. Non-commercial produce (e.g. from fruit trees
for nutrition, or fodder trees for cattle) is not shown.
Harvesting & income
generation
The
oilseeds for most of these tree species mature during
the lean labor period, when
marginal farming families are looking for work.
Therefore, harvesting the seeds is something they can do
themselves.
The campaign team will
help to ensure that the commercial produce of the trees
is sold at fair prices so that growers receive the
maximum return.
While markets are already
forming locally for inedible oilseeds for BioFuel
production, these markets are controlled by middlemen
who will squeeze much of the value. The campaign's goal
is to interest direct buyers who appreciate the extra
social and environmental benefits of the campaign and
are thus willing to pay a premium for the oilseeds.
Estimated revenue from 1
hectare of land is shown below. After the first 3
years, ongoing expenses are low and most of the revenue
will be income. The trees will carry on growing primarily on natural
rainwater, sunlight, and CO2, with some locally
available manure-based fertilizer and pesticides.
Processing & BioFuel
production
Diesel substitutes made from
oilseeds are becoming popular around the world. By
using inedible oilseed from trees that don't displace
food production, the BioFuel produced from
the campaign's trees is significantly better
for the environment and society than BioFuel produced
from soya or corn oil (discussed more in
Questions/Sustainability).
Some Indian companies
have already expressed an interest in purchasing
oilseeds from campaign beneficiaries to produce BioFuel
for their backup Diesel generators. Seed processing also
produces seedcake, which will be used
locally as a fertilizer.
Fighting
climate change
This campaign helps fight climate change in three ways:
-
Trees
absorb CO2 from the atmosphere. While much is
quickly released back (through respiration, leaf fall
and fruit drop, for example) a significant amount
remains locked up
for the life of the
tree in the roots, trunk, and branches. So
planting any tree helps fight climate change,
especially if the trees have big roots, live long,
and if planting them doesn't destroy any other
plants or trees.
-
BioFuel
trees produce an oil that is a good substitute for
Diesel. Burning BioFuel releases some of the
CO2 that was taken up by the tree during its growth.
Burning fossil fuels however, pumps new CO2 into the
atmosphere. So using BioFuel instead of Diesel helps
to prevent further buildup of CO2 in the
atmosphere.
-
Finally,
the seedcake can also be used to produce energy and
displace the use of fossil fuels, in the form of Bio
Coal. Or the seedcake can be used as a
BioFertilizer that displaces synthetic fertilizers
made from fossil fuels, and thus helps fight climate
change. (see Questions/Energy from Trees)
Carbon
credits for the poor
The contribution from these 3 sources has been
estimated in terms of "tons of CO2 reduced",
and is shown in the Impacts section of the site.
These reductions can be certified to create tradable
"carbon credits" that have real monetary value. The
campaign team is pursuing this opportunity to bring a
new income stream to marginal farming families.
Targets:
-
Extra income
generation of $2,500/yr per family
at maturity of trees
-
About
3 million L/yr of BioFuel production enabled at tree
maturity
-
Seedcake and fruit husks used locally as
BioFertilizer and BioCoal
