NENO MACADAMIA TRUST

A CDMC (a Carbon Damage Mitigation Certificate) links the carbon dioxide (CO₂) emitted by a producer with an absorber of CO₂. It registers the mass of CO₂ emitted into the atmosphere with a process that absorbs an equivalent amount of CO₂ from the atmosphere. The NMT Carbon Calculator calculates a mass of CO₂ emitted by a CDMC purchaser and registers it with a known number of macadamia trees that have been planted by smallholders in Malawi. The cost of the CDMC directly funds the farmers who plant and maintain annually surveyed trees that are registered as absorbing an equivalent mass of the emitted CO₂.

The trees have an average absorption rate of CO₂ per year and a CDMC remains valid for a year before it is retired. The purpose is to provide a strong link between those using CO₂ such that macadamia farmers can receive direct funding for the trees they plant AND maintain annually. The CO₂ sequestration by the trees needs to continue for 25 years to be effective. The primary purpose of the trees is for food security which then increases the security of the tree for a minimum 25 year lifespan. In Malawi the trees are also viewed as a pension crop investment, even for young farmers which increases the 25 year security of the tree.

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) makes up about 0.04% of the Earth's atmosphere.

A very important property of atmospheric CO₂ is its absorption of infrared radiation from the Earth's surface. This absorbs heat energy from the Earth which would otherwise escape into space - known as the greenhouse effect. Greenhouse gases, such as CO₂, are important for preventing the Earth cooling from heat radiation losses but also if atmospheric concentrations are too high cause an increase of Earth's temperature. Each greenhouse gas has an index known as the Global Warming Potential (GWP) indicating how significantly it contributes to insulating the Earth from heat loss. CO₂ has the standard GWP = 1.

Current atmospheric concentrations of the greenhouse gas CO₂ are now high, resulting in the rising temperatures being measured on Earth. The figures shown here indicate this.

When looking at this data it is important to note that the temperature trend has a time lag behind the CO₂ trend. It is not visible in Figure 4 because of the huge time scale (800,000 years). Also to note Figure 3 indicates a strong correlation between CO₂ levels and temperature but it is statistical and not an exact one-to-one match.

These sets of clear, independent and long-term data show that serious action and response to deal with CO₂ and green house gas emissions are required. Increasing biodiverse tree coverage to sequester CO₂, whilst also addressing food security issues with agroforestry is one of the many required activities.

It is well established that many human activities emit large volumes of CO₂ into the Earth's atmosphere. Hence it is possible to adjust human activity to reduce and compensate for CO₂ emissions from human activity. A significant area of human activity that generates CO₂ emission involves trees around all parts of the globe. Deforestation and the removal of trees increases the emission of CO₂ whilst also reducing the absorption of CO₂ which occurs when trees grow building up wood mass by the fundamental process of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis basically converts water (H₂O) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) into a carbon chain (n CH2) and oxygen (O₂). The absorption of CO₂ is known as sequestration.

Because trees produce oxygen and sequester CO₂ the removal of trees and deforestation increases the problem of CO₂ emission. The Neno Macadamia Trust is focusing on building and promoting agroforestry as a way to reverse deforestation and also mitigate CO₂ emission damage. Agroforestry is the use of trees to provide food but the trees also sequester (absorb) CO₂. NMT specifically promotes and enables macadamia agroforestry in Malawi with the primary benefit being food security, especially for smallholder farmers.

Carbon sequestration through agroforestry is not quite the same as sequestration through general reforestation programs because the trees are in a closer, more direct relationship with those who plant and maintain the trees. The tree itself, its structure and mass of sequestered CO₂ require ongoing maintenance because of the food security it provides, rather than simply its sequestered carbon mass.

Important secondary benefits are improving the sustainability of the environment: locally for the soil in particular and globally in terms of CO₂ sequestration. It can be described as Climate Smart Macadamia Agroforestry (CSMA).

NMT is building a way of funding CSMA in Malawi by providing carbon offsetting for people in developed countries to purchase carbon damage mitigation certificates (CDMC's) that directly support smallholder farmers who are actively planting and sustaining healthy macadamia trees. NMT is working with a UK academic organisation called Profs Who Fly as well as individuals who can purchase CDMC's via the recently developed NMT Carbon Calculator.

Early stages of the work are providing NMT with a small quota of high value CDMC's linked to CO₂ sequestering macadamia trees in various parts of Malawi. CDMC's purchased directly fund the smallholder farmers which enables them and the co-operatives which they work within to invest in further macadamia agroforestry within their smallholder communities. This is enabled by the close working relationship between NMT in the UK and HIMACUL (The Highland Macadamia Cooperative Union Limited in Malawi).

The quality of macadamia tree CO₂ sequestration is high because the lifetime and health of the trees are connected to the food security that they provide for the smallholder farmers. NMT is currently selling the carbon offset value at £25 per tonne of CO₂ (tCO₂). Carbon damage mitigation pricing information and guidance is available from UK Government BEIS updated short-term traded carbon values and Table 1 of the 2018 PDF. The trees linked to our certificates are well maintained by farmers because they provide food security. The ongoing maintenance improves the security, health and growth of the trees for many years, providing effective carbon sequestration. CDMC's that are purchased from NMT provide funding direct to the farmers who work to maintain the trees over many years.

Since 2017 NMT has carried out annual tree surveys which directly link trees to each CDMC that is purchased. The surveys also monitor tree health and farming conditions. The financial support and encouragement for the smallholder communities helps develop and extend agroforestry to address the food security and environmental issues that these communities face.

The NMT Carbon Calculator enables a purchaser to calculate a mass of CO₂ emission based on:

• general citizen CO₂ emissions;
• air flights;
• number of miles driven by a vehicle;
• fuel used for domestic heating.

The mass of CO₂ calculated is then allocated to macadamia trees planted by smallholder farmers in Malawi which sequester the CO₂. NMT prices the CO₂ at £25 / tCO₂. The calculator provides full results of tonnes of CO₂ emitted as a function of distance flown from an extensive set of international airports, or from vehicle fuel consumption and mileage information.

The purchaser can then buy the uniquely valued CDMC via the calculator. A monthly payment option for an annual specified amount of CO₂ can also be purchased.