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What is the "Plan Vivo" System? Plan Vivo is a system for planning, managing and monitoring the supply of carbon offsets from small farmers in ways that enhance rural livelihoods. The problem or challenge that the Plan Vivo System addresses is the provision of credible, quantifiable carbon sequestration services by small farmers in ways that enhance rural livelihoods. The System helps communities in developing countries to access and use payments for ecosystem services to protect, restore and improve the natural and productive ecosystems on which they depend. It was first conceived and developed in 1994, as part of a UK Department for International Development (DFID) funded research project in the Chiapas region of Southern Mexico . The development of the project was led by the Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Management (ECCM), in partnership with El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR), the University of Edinburgh and other local organisations. The project itself, Scolel Te ('growing trees'), is the longest standing Plan Vivo project. The name of the System derives from the 'Plan Vivo' (living plan) that is created by the farmers and communities in collaboration and delineates the activities and scope of the project. What is a Plan Vivo? A Plan Vivo or 'living plan', is a plan written by an individual farmer or community, representing their vision for future land-use. Plan Vivos incorporate carbon sequestration or conservation activities funded through selling Plan Vivo Certificates. Farmers receive training and guidance from local technicians, and then each Plan Vivo is evaluated to ensure the plan is suitable for the land and purposes. Once a Plan Vivo is approved, the expected carbon benefit of the sequestration activities can be calculated using the project's technical specifications and the project coordinator can sell this carbon benefit on behalf of the community. With growing awareness of the problem of climate change, governments, industries and other organisations are seeking ways of reducing their emissions of carbon to the atmosphere. It is now recognised that some forestry and agricultural activities have the potential to capture carbon from the atmosphere and store it in vegetation and soils. In addition to the traditional market values associated with forests and soils, it may now be possible to realise an additional value - that of carbon storage.
Click on the Image to visit Planvivo.org Well managed forest resources can generate long-term, sustainable benefits for farmers and communities, through the production of a wide range of timber and non timber products for domestic and commercial use. Properly planned woodlands can also provide benefits such as soil conservation and flood protection. However, for small farmers, the costs associated with tree planting, including direct capital investment and the loss of income from alternative land use as the trees grow to maturity, can be prohibitive. The carbon services provided by growing trees are a potential source of investment capital that may be tapped to enable the development of productive forestry systems. Unlike traditional products, which are delivered to the buyer for use or consumption, the service of carbon storage is not directly visible to the buyer – so a mechanism is required to provide assurance that the carbon purchased is really sequestered. The Plan Vivo System aims to provide a structured operating system that will safeguard the investments of carbon service purchasers. However, if forestry and other activities are planned solely for the purpose of storing carbon there may be detrimental local effects. The Plan Vivo System aims to ensure that forestry developments are farmer led, environmentally positive and livelihood enhancing and that agreements between service providers and purchasers are transparent and fair.
Plan Vivo Certificates Local trust funds, operating under the Plan Vivo System, register farmers' plans for forestry developments. Forest management plans are assessed for their carbon sequestration potential and form the basis of carbon service agreements between buyers and sellers. Farmers and communities are encouraged to register and establish additional areas in a reserve carbon fund, which may be drawn on to underwrite the principal transactions. Organisations that wish to offset carbon emissions can purchase carbon services through a trust fund from farmers who enter into an agreement to plant and maintain tree crops on their land. Farmers are invited to develop their own working plans describing how they will provide carbon offset services through planting trees or through the restoration and management of degraded forests. The name 'Plan Vivo' literally means Live Plan in Spanish and implies a dynamic planning process. It contrasts with top down planning that has been a feature of many development projects in the past. These plans form the basis of calculating how much carbon each farmer can sequester.
Plan Vivo in Mexico - field workers advise small farmers. The price of carbon services is agreed between the buyers and sellers, with the operators of the trust fund acting as independent advisors, whose responsibility is to uphold the principles of the Plan Vivo System. While the sale price of carbon services will reflect the costs of implementation and monitoring of the forestry systems, it will not necessarily be equal to the cost of production, since, as with other traded goods the market may be the determining factor. By providing start-up costs in tree planting the Plan Vivo System can help farmers develop sustainable income generating resources in the form of trees and forests on their land. For companies that wish to offset carbon emissions the Plan Vivo System provides a mechanism for purchasing secure carbon offset services associated with significant social benefits. The Plan Vivo System provides a structure for planning and communication between small farmers, who are potential suppliers of carbon offset services, and those who wish to purchase such services. Structured communication is a basic requirement for balancing the needs of small farmers with those of the other stakeholders in the carbon transaction. Specifically, this means –
If farmers' needs are not dealt with in tree planting activities individuals will have little incentive for maintaining those tree crops in the long-term. By empowering farmers in the planning process the Plan Vivo System helps create the conditions necessary for assured long-term carbon storage. The system has four main components that are built-up during the process of project development: Information and data held on databases and spreadsheets
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