Adding value to the voluntary carbon market through small-scale agroforestry
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21792019 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Seongmin Shin (0000-0003-0615-1558, Cornell University, corresponding author), Yurim Nam (0009-0002-7293-8420, Cornell University), Steven A Wolf (0000-0002-8137-1772, Cornell University), Steven Wolf (0000-0002-6748-3911, Cornell University), Mi Sun Park (0000-0003-2350-3017, Seoul National University), Ojok Okello (Makerere University), Edward Mabaya (0000-0001-8726-3732, Cornell University), C Liao (0000-0001-5468-6894, Cornell University) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Pages | 1-13 |
| Publication date | 2025-10-23 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Climate and Development (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1756-5529 • E-ISSN: 1756-5537 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/17565529.2025.2574074 |
| OpenAlex | W4415482240 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 38 |
While the voluntary carbon market (VCM) has gained significant global attention as a dual solution for climate change and community development, critiques and adverse effects of carbon projects have been raised in the large-scale VCM initiatives, including displacement, unequal benefit sharing and marginalization. This research explores the potential of bottom-up approaches for both climate action and local development by examining small-scale carbon projects in Uganda. Fifty-four interviews and three focus group discussions were conducted with diverse stakeholders, including carbon project participants, community members, NGOs, cooperatives, governments, academics, international organizations and private actors. The finding shows that community-based and NGO-led carbon projects with traditional agroforestry practices foster decentralized governance, equitable benefit sharing, inclusive participation and ecosystem services. Smallholder farmers gain added revenue from both agroforestry practices and additional income generated through carbon sequestration. However, structural and operational challenges remain, such as low accessibility, risk of double-counting, profit-oriented implementation and economic insecurity. Nevertheless, this study suggests that small-scale initiatives hold the promise to add value in VCM by bridging local communities and the carbon market, thus contributing to equitable and inclusive climate solutions
Carbon fibers · Carbon market · Carbon sequestration · Climate change · Climate change mitigation · Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management · French Urban and Social Studies · Land Use and Ecosystem Services
Governing the Commons
Natural climate solutions
Understanding the value and limits of nature-based solutions to climate change and other global challenges
Environmental Governance
But is it rigorous? Trustworthiness and authenticity in naturalistic evaluation
The New Imperialism
The role of forests and protected areas in climate change mitigation
Institutional ecological economics
Strong transparency required for carbon credit mechanisms
Transparency Under Scrutiny
Analysis of Uganda’s policy and legal framework for the implementation of Redd
Bridging organizations in agricultural carbon markets and poverty alleviation
Small-scale forest carbon projects
The history of ecosystem services in economic theory and practice
Carbon colonialism and the new land grab
The effectiveness of regulatory disclosure policies
Farmer participation in a climate-smart future
Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act and Rules
The Economics of Welfare
The neoliberalization of nature
Scale and Cross-Scale Dynamics
A climate-smart world and the rise of Green Extractivism
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |