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Acorn is Rabobank's response to climate change, a threat that affects us all, but that disproportionately disadvantages smallholder farmers in developing countries. Like everything we do, our solution is rooted in common sense, in down-to-earth practicality.
Our collective actions have created an excess of carbon in our atmosphere. Planting biomass, such as trees, can recapture that carbon. That's why we help smallholder farmers to transform their agricultural practices into more sustainable ones through agroforestry.
Agroforestry also improves soil quality and crop yield. The only thing holding back smallholder farmers is perceived risk and delayed reward. So we're mitigating those factors and paving the way for a greener, cooler, more sustainable planet.
We turn the CO2 that is sequestered through agroforestry into carbon credits to be sold on the voluntary carbon market or as insetting units within supply chains. We developed an innovative and scalable method for measuring, certifying, and monetizing the biomass growth of planted trees and turning that growth into Carbon Removal Units (CRUs). The CRUs (or carbon credits) are sold to organizations with strong emission reduction commitments. To close the loop, 80% of the income of every sold CRU flows back to the original smallholder.
Can our morning cup of coffee help capture carbon? Acorn is the world's first direct trade platform that allows companies and consumers to offset their emissions through agroforestry on smallholder farms without middlemen. In Quinchia, Colombia, we find out how smallholder farmers like Rosa can take part in global emission trading schemes and improve their income. BBC StoryWorks created this short documentary, introducing us to Rosa's life as a coffee farmer. Like her parents and grandparents before her, Rosa has dedicated her life to farming coffee, taking pride in her produce. But as climate change decimates harvests, it's time for farmers like Rosa to adapt to climate change in a way that benefits her not just in the future, but right now.
Interested in working at Acorn? Have a look at our current vacancies.
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