Global challenges emerging from the climate crisis and lack of adequate livelihood opportunities call for urgent and innovative solutions that can build a secure tomorrow. Largescale forestry can provide multiple pathways to address some of these colossal problems. Afforestation enables effective climate action through extensive carbon sequestration, prevention of soil erosion, enhancement of soil health, and increased ground water recharge. It also supports generation of livelihood opportunities at scale, thereby contributing to overall socio-economic development.
ITC's Paperboards and Specialty Papers Business has spearheaded a largescale Afforestation Programme that not only provides a sustainable source of fibre but contributes to natural resources replenishment, supporting the Company's climate action plan, as well as in supporting the generation of gainful livelihoods. In addition, it also enables effective import substitution by creating pulpwood plantations in India. Over the years, this programme has also assisted farmers to turn their unproductive land assets into profitable and renewable plantations, using clonal saplings specially developed by ITC R&D to grow in harsh conditions. ITC is a willing buyer of the produce, through the growers are free to sell to the highest bidder in the open market.
By enriching natural resources, supporting livelihood and building competitiveness of the Business through a sustainable fibre value chain, this innovative programme exemplifies ITC's triple bottom line approach.
ITC's Life Sciences and Technology Centre (LSTC) has developed fast-growing, high-yielding and disease-resistant hybrid clones and saplings of eucalyptus pulpwood. These saplings contribute to building resilience in small farm holdings and increasing farmer income.
ITC's Social Forestry programme provides small and marginal landowners the means to turn unproductive land into an income-generating asset and a sustainable livelihood opportunity through tree plantation in fields with pulp, fruit or other multipurpose species. ITC provides clonal saplings of climate resistant varieties at subsidised rates, technical support and training (through Social Forestry Groups) and financial assistance through long-term, interest-free loans. Moreover, farmers receive assistance to get Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certification for their plantations, which in turn, ensures sustainable cultivation and premium pricing for their wood.
Integral to ITC's Social Forestry programme are the Agro-Forestry and bund plantation models that help small and marginal farmers to cultivate field crops and trees together and realise both benefits. Crops and pulpwood saplings are grown on the same plot of land in a wider spacing pattern so that agricultural crops can continue without affecting the four-year wood plantation cycle.
Plantations of pulpwood trees are also promoted on the bunds of paddy fields or other farms that already have an irrigation facility. The programme is a win-win model for farmers as it helps them to earn a lump-sum amount every four years from sale of pulpwood trees.
ITC's Farm Forestry model focuses on medium to large farmers, who hold more than five acres of degraded agricultural land. The programme enables them to convert their wasteland into pulpwood plantations, providing them with a viable alternative land-use option with the strategic planting of trees so that they can raise inter-crops in the first year and shade-loving crops in block plantations from the second year onwards.
