Projects ACORN Acorn (Agroforestry CRUs for the Organic Restoration of Nature) is an initiative developed by Rabobank. The objective is to increase the accessibility of the international carbon market for smallholder farmers in the developing world. The Plan Vivo certified Acorn framework works together with smallholders to further carbon reductions and implement sustainable agroforestry practices. About Rabobank and the Acorn initiative With climate change mitigation and sustainable farming practices becoming ever-important, Rabobank are utilising their unique position and strong connections in the food and agri sector to activate change. Working together with farmers and companies, the Acorn initiative aims to reduce and remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere whilst improving the lives of smallholder farmers. How? By working with smallholders to implement more sustainable, agroforestry practices and crucially monetising the associated sequestration of CO2. The Plan Vivo - Acorn Partnership In early November 2021 Plan Vivo officially certified the Acorn framework and methodology. The certification process for the Acorn Carbon Removal Units (CRUs) will have ongoing oversight by Plan Vivo, in addition to formal reviews annually for ongoing development. We are the formal certification authority and will continue to work closely with with the Acorn team, using our wealth of experience (gained over 20+ years) to ensure Acorn's CRUs are of the highest standard and credibility. Known for our fair and ethically traded carbon services, we ensure at least 60% of income goes back to local communities and smallholders. The Acorn initiative aims to ensure up to 90% of revenue goes directly to the smallholder farmers and their local communities. This will translate into investments in agroforestry schemes, enabling a transition to more sustainable food production in developing countries. For more information on the Plan Vivo - Rabobank partnership, read Eline Kajim's (Acorn's Head of Certification) guest blog here. How will Acorn provide opportunities and benefits? In being Plan Vivo certified, corporates are safeguarded and reassured as to the integrity and quality of purchased CRUs (carbon removal units). By planting diverse trees among various crops, agroforestry can increase crop productivity, diversify nutrition, enhance biodiversity, and make farmers and communities more resilient. By introducing a scalable agroforestry and carbon sequestration monitoring system, the Acorn initiative will bring down the cost of biomass measuring and ground truthing. To do this, Acorn's methodology - certified by Plan Vivo - utilises remote sensing technology and AI. This makes sequestration monitoring and monetisation more cost-effective and scalable. You can view the Acorn's Plan Vivo certified framework here. What are Acorn Carbon Removal Units? Acorn's carbon removal units (CRUs) are being developed based upon actual carbon stored in planted trees. Only after trees have converted carbon into biomass will an Acorn CRU be sold. This is measured on a smallholder farmer's land with the help of remote sensing technology i.e. satellite imagery. Acorn CRUs represent actual carbon that is no longer in the atmosphere whilst Acorn’s platform makes CRUs fully traceable. Acorn's ambition Acorn has already linked 15,000 farmers to organisations such as Microsoft and Standard Chartered via the Acorn platform. In December of 2021 Standard Chartered purchased 16,000 CRUs to compensate parts of their 2021 emissions. Throughout 2022 and beyond Acorn will work to reach millions of smallholder farmers globally, offering the opportunity to embrace agroforestry whilst striving to increase the accessibility and inclusivity of the voluntary carbon market. Access the Acorn framework below: ACORN FRAMEWORK Find out more via the official Acorn website: FIND OUT MORE More information will be added to this page as the Acorn initiative continues to develop and expand.