Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac has said that the ongoing Carbon neutral project of Meenangadi grama panchayat will be extended to the entire district, the most eco-sensitive biodiversity hotspot in the country, if it is found successful.
Speaking after inaugurating a workshop on the project at Meenangadi on Tuesday, Dr. Isaac said Meenangadi grama panchayat was the laboratory of the project but it would be extended to entire Wayanad as it would make a revolutionary change in the agriculture sector of the hill district.
“When the project is completed by 2020, it would double the income of the farmers in the grama panchayat in an ecologically sustainable way,” Dr. Isaac said.
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Reducing emission
The carbon neutral project intends to reduce emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases through a series of greening initiatives. The local body is working towards zero carbon footprint, to be achieved by bringing down pollution, carbon emissions, and plastic waste.
Many a time the farming community in the district did not get a good price for the Robusta coffee. But when it would be branded ‘coffee growing in carbon neutral hill slopes of Wayanad,’ it would fetch farmers a premium price in the world market, Dr. Isaac said.
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“Silvy culture is one of the major components of the project and the farmers will get incentives at the time of planting trees on their land and on the third year of planting. The farmers could mortgage the matured trees in a bank and get 70% of the value of the tree as cash at times of financial needs, instead of felling trees,” he said. Such a move would help conserve the biodiversity of the area, Dr. Isaac said.
Other components such as homestead ecotourism would improve the financial status of the farming community.
₹10 cr given
The State government handed over ₹10 crore to the grama panchayat for the successful implementation of the project.
Girijan Gopi, senior scientist, M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation; Ajith Mathai, environment management consultant; S. Raju, programme coordinator, Thanal; and A. Shajna, Assistant Forest Conservator, Social Forestry, Wayanad; led classes on related topic.
Beena Vijayan, panchayat president, presided over the function.