CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH HORTICULTURE PROJECT IN INDIA
#173of 261 in Soil carbon#838of 975 in India#1094of 1339 in Verra (VCS)
Audit Analysis
A small-scale VCS agroforestry project in Nandurbar, India (214 participants, 108,820 tCO2e lifetime ERR) that passed validation and is registered, but whose validation report carries 27 material findings and 25 corrective actions, a leakage inconsistency (0% deduction despite 5,287 tCO2 quantified), and no monitoring data yet available to verify claims. The project's environmental integrity is plausible but its documentation and verification record remain thin at this stage.
Red Flags
- Leakage deduction is recorded as 0% while the validation report material findings state leakage was 'later quantified as 5,287 tCO2' — an unexplained inconsistency that could mean ~4.9% of lifetime ERR is not being deducted for leakage
- 27 material findings and 25 corrective actions in the validation report, including gaps in additionality evidence (regulatory surplus, barriers), insufficient FPIC/human-rights documentation, and unclear timber-harvest activities
- No monitoring or verification data available (no monitoring period, no verified ERR), so the 108,820 tCO2e lifetime claim is entirely untested against observed performance
- Invasive species (Gliricidia sepium, Leucaena leucocephala) were part of the plantation plan; a commenter recommended removing Gliricidia in favour of local species, and an SOP for their removal was only added as a corrective action
- Project longevity was flagged as below the standard's requirement (30 vs 40 years), raising questions about the robustness of the 20-year crediting period
Credit Vintages
No issuances recorded on the registry.
Risk Indicators
VVB-verified combined test, but gaps in regulatory surplus and barrier evidence flagged at validation
10% buffer pool in place, no reversal events, but non-permanence risk details sparse
0% deduction recorded despite 5,287 tCO2 quantified leakage — unresolved inconsistency
Project-specific baseline; no reassessment date recorded (not yet due under VCS 10-year rule)
FPIC and grievance mechanism present, but validation flagged insufficient AFOLU-specific evidence
CORSIA and CCP eligibility both not stated in available documents
⚑ Dispute this rating
Are you the project owner?
Metadata correction (free)
Name, country, marketplace or links incorrect? Let us know.
Does not modify the score.
[email protected] →Pipeline re-run with new documents
Have updated documentation not yet included? You can request a new run of the pipeline with the new inputs.
Submit Documents →Share this rating
