Connecting farmers with the global carbon market, a meeting organised by the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) in collaboration with Meghalaya Basin Development Authority was held today to discuss agroforestry projects.
KHADC chief Pyniaid Sing Syiem said that 28 farmers have registered their lands under the scheme and will be receiving financial benefits.
Principal Secretary Sampath Kumar said that one of the important measures is how to connect farmers and other people who protect forests and the growing agroforestry industry to global carbon markets.
Essentially, certain industrialised nations or private companies and organisations try to offset the amount of greenhouse gases (specifically carbon dioxide) they produce by paying for forest preservation and tree plantation, much of it in the Third World.
A Dutch ‘rubber bank’ wants to purchase carbon removal credits and has come up with an idea to support farmers, with 80 percent of the funds to go to them for planting trees.
The state government already hands out payments to landowners for preserving forests.