Breaking Down Barriers: Enabling Smallholders to Access Carbon Markets
Small-scale landowners and project developers have a crucial role to play in climate solutions, yet they continue to face significant barriers when trying to access carbon markets. Carbon standards and methodologies are often tailored for large-scale projects, making participation costly, complex, and out of reach for smallholders who want to develop forestry carbon projects.
In a recent Carbon Pulse interview, Plant Your Future Founder and Chairwoman Jenny Henman highlighted the challenges smallholders face and the urgent need for more inclusive carbon standards.
“Smallholders are such a massive global demographic, and they have not generally been able to access carbon markets,” Henman said.
The Need for Inclusion
Smallholders represent 25-30% of the global population, yet they have been largely excluded from participating in carbon markets. Enabling their involvement could have significant benefits—not only by scaling up reforestation and nature-based solutions, but also by supporting livelihoods and building resilience for some of the world’s poorest communities.
However, existing standards and investor expectations favour large-scale projects—often requiring minimum land areas of 1,000 hectares or more. This leaves smallholders without viable pathways to enter the market, despite their willingness to contribute.
A Call for Change
From our own firsthand experience with Plant Your Future developing a smallholder agroforestry project in the Peruvian Amazon, we see the potential for smallholders to drive meaningful impact—but only if they are given the right tools.
“Ultimately, many smallholders want to be part of the solution, but the complexity of current standards and the high costs of applying them create significant barriers to entry,” Henman said.
“Simplifying access and tailoring methodologies for small-scale landowners is essential if we want to make these markets truly inclusive and effective.”
As carbon market evolves, there is an opportunity to develop frameworks that support projects of all sizes—ensuring that those on the frontlines of reforestation and climate resilience are not left behind.
Read the full Carbon Pulse article here: https://carbon-pulse.com/377673/