Our certification
Unlocking the international voluntary carbon market for smallholder farmers by streamlining the certification activities as a program.
Our agroforestry projects are certified with Plan Vivo, an independent certification body that specializes in smallholder forestry projects. As a leading certifier in community land-use projects, they work with us to ensure our projects are truly benefiting farmers, their land, and the environment.
How we make certification more accessible
To successfully certify a project and the CRUs generated, each project undergoes a thorough initial assessment to measure eligibility and additionality, alongside collecting a range of baseline data.
We recognize, however, that certification is not always easy for project coordinators or accessible for smallholder farmers. So we've made our certification process as straightforward as possible: our framework and methodology keep the certification process accessible and transparent, while reducing the costs and lead times of certification significantly. For example, we define and monitor only a few impact indicators (local livelihood, carbon storage, and environmental improvement).
Our framework and methodology
Our certification approach and the requirements that projects must adhere to are described in the Acorn Framework.
Acorn Framework and Methodology 2.0
The following documents are part of the new Acorn Framework and Methodology (2.0), which has been certified by Plan Vivo.
The Acorn Framework for Voluntary, Ex-Post, Agroforestry Carbon Removal Units v2.0
The Acorn Methodology for Quantifying Carbon Benefits from Small-scale Agroforestry v2.0
AM-002 Tool for Assessment of Historic Deforestation on Small-scale Agroforestry v1.0
AM-003 Tool for Ground Truth Sampling v1.0
AM-004 Module for Model Development, Calibration, Validation and Application of Remote Sensing-based Models of Aboveground Biomass in Smallholder Agroforestry v1.0
AM-005 Module for Performing Adaptive Pre-project Woody Biomass Baseline for Small-scale Agroforestry v1.0
AM-007 Module for Estimating Uncertainty of Carbon Benefits from Small-scale Agroforestry v1.0
AM-008 Module for Estimation of Carbon Benefits from Small-scale Agroforestry with Partial Felling and Harvesting of Trees v1.0
To help you better understand our Acorn CRU calculation methodology (2.0), we have created a simple visual guide that explains important factors that impact project CRU calculations.
Framework and Methodology 1.0
The following documents are from the original Acorn Framework and Methodology (1.0), which was certified by Plan Vivo.
> Download the Acorn Framework v1.0 here
The complementary Acorn Methodology describes the processes involved when measuring and calculating CRUs. The Methodology has been externally assessed and approved by the Plan Vivo Foundation and an accredited validation and verification body: AENOR.
> Download the Acorn Methodology v1.0 here
The Sampling Approach and Program Certification document details the certifier-approved sampling approach and processes Acorn follows to confirm the veracity of its projects and program
> Download the Sampling Approach and Program Certification here
Inactive
The following documents are no longer active framework and/or methodology.
Why validation and verification are important
Validation and verification are critical to ensure the credibility and effectiveness of our projects. Validation is the initial assessment to confirm a project's design and expected outcomes, while verification measures and evaluates the actual results post-implementation. These processes provide transparency and accountability to help ensure our projects deliver real climate and community benefits. By adhering to rigorous standards, we can build trust with farmers, partners and buyers.
Currently, every Acorn project is initially validated and verified before sold Carbon Removal Units can be retired. Once validated and verified Carbon Removal Units will be retired immediately.
For more detailed information, you can refer to our FAQ on validation and verification assessments.
Registered Projects
The following Acorn projects that have been successfully validated and verified by external third-party Validation and Verification Bodies (VVBs).
Accion Fraterna Ecology Centre India (Eligibility Certificate | ADD | Validation Report & Statement | Annual Report)
Farm Africa Kenya (Eligibility Certificate | ADD | Verification Statement & Report | Validation Statement & Report)
Trees for Kenya (Eligibility Certificate | ADD | Verification Statement & Report | Validation Statement & Report | Annual Report)
Projects Under Review
The projects listed below are undergoing independent assessments by VVBs to ensure their design and implementation aligns with the Acorn Framework and Methodology.
Intellecap India (Eligibility Certificate | ADD | Validation Report)
IORA Ecological Solutions India (Eligibility Certificate | ADD)
Kaderes (Eligibility Certificate | ADD | Annual Report)
La Laja Mexico (Eligibility Certificate | ADD | Annual Report | Validation Report)
Nabcons India (Eligibility Certificate | ADD)
Solidaridad Colombia (Eligibility Certificate | ADD | Annual Report)
Solidaridad Kenya (Eligibility Certificate | ADD | Annual Report)
Solidaridad Nicaragua (Eligibility Certificate | ADD)
Solidaridad Uganda (Eligibility Certificate | ADD | Annual Report)
All project details can be found on our Projects page.
Pipeline Projects
These Acorn projects are currently undergoing the development of baseline and certification documentation.
ABT Egypt (Eligibility Certificate)
Asian Forest Cooperation Organization Kyrgystan (Eligibility Certificate)
AUXFIN Burundi (Eligibility Certificate)
Cereal Growers Association Kenya (Eligibility Certificate)
Crimas Mozambique (Eligibility Certificate)
DFB São Tomé and Príncipe (Eligibility Certificate)
ECOM Vietnam (Eligibility Certificate)
Ethical Tea Partnership Malawi (Eligibility Certificate)
High Atlas Foundation Morroco (Eligibility Certificate)
Hans R. Neumann Stiftung Uganda (Eligibility Certificate)
ICAFE Costa Rica (Eligibility Certificate)
Rainforest Alliance Vietnam (Eligibility Certificate)
TechnoServe El Salvador (Eligibility Certificate)
Tradin Organic Sierra Leone (Eligibility Certificate)
UCFA Uganda (Eligibility Certificate)
Discontinued Projects
Here you can view the discontinued projects. These are projects that at least had an eligibility and ADD approved. There are varying reasons why a project may not reach the certification stage, including not acquiring sufficient start-up funding, blockages created by government legislation, or requirements of the relevant Standard not being met.
WETPA (Eligibility Certificate | ADD) - project merged with Cereals Growers Association
If you require more information about a specific project, please Contact us | Acorn Rabobank.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Stay updated on our Acorn activities and the latest carbon news