Bhutan 2023 - Mountain Hazelnuts for Livelihood & Climate

PROJECT REPORT

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT

Dear friend,

Thanks to your support, a total of 20,000 trees were planted to restore 34 hectares of land in Bhutan.

Planting trees in areas that have been degraded or deforested helps the environment by accelerating and assuring the re-establishment of healthy forests. Through reforestation, the canopy is restored, ecosystems are made whole, and biodiversity can thrive.

None of this would be possible without you. On behalf of everyone at One Tree Planted, thank you!

What follows is a report outlining the project you supported in Bhutan. I hope youenjoy reading it and truly feel theimpact youhavemade.

OVERVIEW

The objective of the Bhutan 2023 - Mountain Hazelnuts for Livelihood & Climate project was to significantly increase the income of smallholder households dedicated to hazelnut farming, thereby alleviating rural poverty, slowing rural-tourban migration, and helping keep Bhutan’s rich cultural heritage vibrant. By supporting hazelnut growers to undertake regenerative agriculture, we work to rehabilitate and enhance the entire ecosystem of the farm, bringing about a wealth of ecological, social and economic benefits to the community and safeguarding livelihoodsforgenerationstocome.

TREE SPECIES PLANTED

Nine types, or cultivars, (a plant variety that has been produced in cultivation by selectivebreeding)ofhazelnutwereplantedacross 84acresforthisproject.

Our on-ground partner planted exclusively on lands nationally classified as fallow and/or degraded, within a diversified smallholder farm and forest landscape. These hazelnut orchards are located at altitudes between 1,600 meters and 3,000 meters, in sub-tropical and temperate zones with a mosaic of broadleaf subtropical deciduous forest cover at lower altitudes and mixed conifer, pine forests at higher altitudes. Most of this land was cleared over 50 years ago, and has been historically cultivated under swidden practice. With swidden practice banned since 2006, farmers have switched to permanent areas for subsistence agriculture and grazing, combined with a land titling program that commenced in 2007. Unfortunately, rural to urban migration over the last 30 years has resulted in much of these subsistence agricultural lands being left fallow. Hence, these were priority areas that our partner planted into, aligning with their market-based approachtoreplantingdeforestedanddegradedlandscapes.

SPECIES PLANTED THROUGH THIS PROJECT

Hazelnut (Cultivar:Yamhill)

Hazelnut (Cultivar: TdG)

Hazelnut (Cultivar: Sacajawea)

Hazelnut (Cultivar: Ennis)

Hazelnut (Cultivar: Jefferson)

Hazelnut (Cultivar: Lewis)

Hazelnut (Cultivar: Gunslebert)

Hazelnut (Cultivar: Nut Variety)

Hazelnut (Cultivar: Theta)

TREE SPECIES IDENTIFICATION & USE

Mountain Hazelnut, also known as Corylus Avellana, is a deciduous large shrub or small tree native to the temperate northern hemisphere. On the smaller side, hazelnut trees have a spreading, bushy habit, only growing to approximately 4-6 meters when mature. These trees thrive in Bhutan's pristine conditions, between its clean mountain water, fresh air, and rich soil. Hazelnut tree leaves are round to oval, doubly toothed, hairy and pointed at the tip. The leaves turn yellow before fallinginautumn,andinearlygrowthcanbetingedwithred.

Most people plant hazelnut for the bountiful benefits its nuts provide. These versatile nuts can be used in baking, pastes (such as Nutella), hog feed, coffee flavoring and so on. In an ecosystem, hazelnuts are eaten by woodpeckers, nuthatches, wood pigeons, jays, and small mammals. Likewise, their flowers provide early pollen as a food for bees, although bees sometimes find it difficult to collect and can only gather it in small loads. This is because the pollen of windpollinatedhazelisnotstickyandthegrainsactuallyrepeleachother.

HAZELNUT CULTIVATION IS A LONG-TERM STRATEGY: WELL-TENDED TREES CAN PRODUCE NUTS AND GENERATE INCOME FOR OVER 50 YEARS. THE MOUNTAIN HAZELNUTS MODEL WORKS TO REDUCE INCOME RISKS TO FARMERS BY REMOVING MARKET PRICE FLUCTUATIONS, CREATING A LONG TERM SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOOD FOR RURAL COMMUNITIES WITH FEW OTHER OPPORTUNITIES.

YOUR IMPACT ON THE MAP

The Bhutan 2023 - Mountain Hazelnuts for Livelihood & Climate project supportedtheplantingof20,000hazelnuttreesacross84acresin19ofBhutan’s 20 districts. Planting hazelnut orchards will not only support the livelihoods of smallholder farmers, but it will augment the overall economic functioning of Bhutan while working to stabilize soil, reduce erosion, improve river water quality, and curb global climate change. This restorative form of production aligns with Bhutan'sdeepcommitmenttoconservationandecologicalresilience.

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE IMPACT

As a market-driven approach to restoring degraded landscapes and sequestering carbon, over 84 acres of hazelnuts have been planted in partnership with Bhutanese subsistence farming communities on the country's fallow and degraded mountain slopes for this project. In doing so, our goal is to significantly increase the income of smallholder households - alleviating rural poverty, slowing rural-to-urbanmigration,andhelpingkeepBhutan’srichculturalheritagevibrant.

Through this restoration work, we ensure sustainable, regenerative agriculture acrossBhutan,usingfarmingpracticesthataugmentecosystemsbyemphasizing

soil health, water management, appropriate fertilizer and inputs use. Besides reducing soil erosion and runoff, leading to improved water quality on and off the farm, our on-ground partners are committed to improving soil quality through organic amendments and appropriate use of mineral fertilizers. Additionally, food security is targeted through crop diversification by intercropping and maintaining wide row spacing. Increasing the crop diversity of hazelnut orchards not only helps to generate extra income for the farmers, it improves biodiversity and increasessoilproductivityforhazelnutproduction.

Further, fallow and degraded agricultural land are targeted for hazelnut plantation(s) to prevent and reduce land degradation and rehabilitate already degraded land in the country. In this way, we avoid encroaching on prime agricultural land that is meant for main food production. These hazelnut trees will help stabilize eroding mountain soils, alleviate deforestation pressures from fuelwood,andsequestermillionsoftonsofCO2overtheirproductivelifetimes.

Bhutan as a country represents an important seed of high ecological biodiversity, a refuge that can repopulate the neighboring Himalayan belt. Thanks to donors likeyou,OneTreePlantedhashelpedourpartnersachievemonumentalchangein protecting and enhancing ecological biodiversity by sustaining communities in place — and promoting regenerative agricultural practices at the human-forest interface. Much of Bhutan's high biodiversity is dependent on the land use practices of these communities and activities at the forest margins. Without your help,thelossoftheseactivitieswouldleadtoauniformforestecologyandoverall lossofbiodiversity.

DOCUMENTING YOUR IMPACT

Throughauthenticandinformativestorytelling,wehelpdonorsrelatetothepeople who plant their trees and to the impact they're making for the planet. We share photos, videos, and updates from our global projects across our social media, website, and other media to create a personal connection to the incredible work happeningontheground.

PHOTOS FROM YOUR PROJECT

OUR PARTNERSHIP PLANTING TREES WITH MOUNTAIN HAZELNUT HAS CREATED HOPE FOR A LONG-TERM INCOME EARNING OPPORTUNITY FOR MY CHILDREN, GRANDCHILDREN, AND COMMUNITY.

COMMUNITY BENEFITS

This project was designed with a systemic approach for the social and economic uplift of the grower communities it works in. Hazelnut grower households were provided with hazelnut tree saplings at no cost, along with continuous technical support and training on raising the trees by an experienced field extension team. Hazelnuts are a low-input crop, meaning farmers will not have to devote substantial labor or resources to their cultivation, facilitating the participation in agricultureofallmembersofruralcommunities.

Hazelnut growers also received training on personal finance, management, and soft skills. As a result of its activities, more income-earning opportunities were created for rural communities in Bhutan, including for women. Farmers have access to skills and training to cultivate hazelnuts, and our on-ground partners also mitigate market risks to farmers by guaranteeing a profitable floor price for purchasingtheirnuts.

As a long-term crop, the income generated by a hazelnut tree will continue for at least 50 years, making this a reliable supplementary income source, including for future generations. In addition, a secure income from hazelnuts will have positive spillover effects on education, gender equality, continuity of traditional lifestyles, and rural development. All in all, this project has benefited approximately 8,000 hazelnutgrowerhouseholds.

Bhutan as a country represents an important regenerative seed of cultural knowledge as the only remaining tantric kingdom after the loss of Tibet. Our projectprotectsthisculturalknowledgebyenablingmeaningfulincomegeneration in areas that have few other opportunities and allowing communities to remain vibrant and in place. Bhutan's rich and important cultural knowledge is embedded in village life, and without initiatives like these, that knowledge will be lost to rural urbanmigration.

U.N. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

THIS PROJECT CONTRIBUTED TO THE FOLLOWING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS:

WHAT ARE SDGS?

Sustainable development entails seeking out solutions that not only boost the economic outcomes of developing and poorer nations, but also work to limit (or eliminate)ourimpactontheplanet.Treesareonesuchsolution.

From creating jobs and reducing hunger to improving gender equality, cleaning air and water, absorbing carbon, protecting life on land and water, and more, planting treescanaddressall17sustainabledevelopmentgoals.

This is a project at the forefront of innovation. Social enterprise is used as a powerful tool to uplift and retain vulnerable communities in healthier rural spaces, conserve ancient traditions and cultures, while restoring degraded lands and tackling the dual crises of climate changeandbiodiversityloss.

KM Reyes Project Manager Asia Pacific

Meghan Danny Global Projects Support Specialist