This article originally appeared in Business India这里.

随着1922年Covid-19在2022年的印记时,地球面临着一系列日益严重的环境挑战。在联合国,农民和全球粮食系统的斗争,生物多样性的巨大丧失和不断加热的星球占主导地位,最终在11月的COP26气候会议上达到了最终。必威官网是真的吗

这些挑战在印度尤为明显,不止7亿人依靠森林和农业来寄托。其中超过85%的人是小而边缘的土地所有者,随着气候改变周围的世界,它们特别容易受到伤害。必威官网是真的吗

这就是为什么企业领袖,政府代表和民间社会组织在COP26上回应一个普遍关注的问题:如果人类希望为弱势群体建立一个气候富裕,生物多样性丰富,粮食安全和营养的未来,则需要全球和国家行动。必威官网是真的吗

幸运的是,印度各地的开拓者正在部署一系列技术,称为景观修复, that can heal damaged ecosystems, improve biodiversity and water supplies, draw down planet-heating carbon from the atmosphere and (most importantly) provide green livelihoods for farmers and forest dependent population.

Globally, India is among the前十五个国家通过保护,维护和恢复森林并减少农业的排放来减少其排放。WRI在2018年发现,森林保护和景观修复超过1亿公顷could store up to 4.3 billion tons of above-ground carbon by 2040. More than half of this potential is for restoration techniques like agroforestry, which can boost crop yields by adding trees to productive farmland.

景观恢复还可以创造就业机会并改善生计,尤其是对于青年,贫穷和边缘化的群体以及妇女。WRI研究found that every INR 75 (~$1) invested can bring in economic benefits of Rs525-2,250 (~$730) That opportunity makes it a critical part of India’s post-COVID-19 economic recovery strategy, its international commitments and its Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets.

投资恢复可以推动更具包容性的策略来改善印度贫困和气候可造成的地区。必威官网是真的吗例如,中央邦西迪地区的修复有可能创造约375万美元的工资收入,以及3,000 microenterprisesthat grow, process and harvest high-value tree crops. Building sustainable local economies is critical, as climate change will likely减少农业收入by up to 25% annually.

Building a Restoration Economy in India

With all the benefits outlined above, why has restoration not expanded across India? In short, investment is lacking. Globally, there is a gap of INR 22.5 lakh crores(3000亿美元)用于生态系统保护和恢复的财务。在印度,景观修复主要由公共场所和慈善资金加油。在2011年至2016年之间,几乎75%(INR 1,02,505 crores or $13 billion) came from the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, whose primary objective is job creation, not landscape restoration.

为了恢复印度所有受损的土地,我们需要更多的私人资本。但是为了激发对恢复融资的需求,印度需要强大的项目和企业供应。恢复经济仍在早期, with a small market size, a fragmented industry with many small-and-medium-sized enterprises, and nascent business models and value chains that have trouble absorbing capital. How can India break through these barriers and invest in restoration at scale?

Sparking the Ideas of Hundreds of Entrepreneurs

The government of India recognizes the salience of spurring entrepreneurship and provides platforms to nurture the start-up ecosystem in India through Startup India, Invest India and Accelerating Growth of New India’s Innovations (AGNIi). Even though the Indian start-up ecosystem is the第三大在世界范围内,从事土地修复工作的企业家和企业的数量尚不公开。

However, one mentorship and training program, the陆地加速器南亚自2020年以来,已经收到了来自土地回收公司的800多名申请人,这表明有许多创新者希望建立他们的技能并与投资者建立联系。我们对这些应用的分析表明,印度的恢复经济仍处于其成立阶段。

但是我们还发现这些企业家正在尝试multiple innovative waysto restore farms and forests and build resilience for rural communities and enhance sustainable livelihood opportunities. Jeev Anksh Eco Products, for example, is a regenerative company that helps farmers market organic Himalayan foods. Gratitude Farms is a start-up that employs Indian Army veterans to grow food forests. And Urvara Krishi offers buyback agreements to farmers working on agroforestry systems, guaranteeing them a competitive market prices for their crops. In total, the 73 businesses that have graduated from the Land Accelerator South Asia program in the last two years say that they have created nearly 1,800 jobs, restored 70,000 hectares of land, engaged 1.1 million small and marginal farmers, and grown 8.7 million trees.

Nurturing a Stronger Restoration Economy in India

诸如支持可持续业务的土地加速器之类的举措也减少了为印度建立新的恢复经济的两个关键障碍。首先,他们通过改善业务发展,与初创导师的联系和推销技能为这些企业提供了急需的能力建设。其次,他们将财政资源从承诺的影响投资者直接传达给企业家。在此过程中,参与的投资者更多地了解了景观恢复业务,并可以在这个不断发展的行业中获得最佳机会。

Getting finance to these businesses is, however, not easy. Although access to timely credit or finance is a critical determinant for scaling up these initiatives, anecdotal evidence from these businesses indicates that the existing public and institutional sources of finance are insufficient or inaccessible. A few public programs exist, but are choked by bureaucratic processes, slow and delayed payouts, and low awareness.

早期企业主要通过朋友和家人网络筹集资金,因为很少有私人银行愿意信任他们的想法。政府的激励措施,发展资金和慈善事业可以支持这些在复杂土地空间中工作的早期企业,并表现出这些解决方案有效的影响和机构投资者。这些企业需要可靠的财务才能发展,成熟和规模。印度可以从非洲最近的例子中学习,例如TerraFund for AFR100,通过将许多捐助者和投资者的融资融合,然后将其分解为初创企业可以吸收的少量融资,从而填补了这一空白。这些程序凭借其强大的监控机制,将通过透明度和对学习的承诺来建立投资者的信心。

如果我们想帮助印度的农民和森林居民改善其粮食安全,解决气候并实现印度雄心勃勃的目标,以恢复2600万公顷土地,那么时间就已经过去了。必威官网是真的吗latest sciencemakes clear, it is code red for humanity unless we rapidly decarbonize the economy. India’s restoration entrepreneurs are ready to offset part of the loss of jobs and livelihoods from these sectors by building thriving farms and forests. Now, we have to trust them.