The market
The state and trends in the World Bank carbon market report indicating that the total market value of carbon credits in 2010 reached $ 142 billion, a slight drop compared to the $ 144 billion recorded in 2009. Only a small fraction of carbon sequestration projects focused on afforestation, reforestation and sustainable management of agricultural land. The World Bank's Bioocarbon Fund has invested a total of $ 91.9 million in forest growth initiatives that have reduced carbon emissions by 8.6 million tonnes from degraded land for the purpose of 2004. to restore newly planted forests to produce firewood and/or construction wood. The fact that carbon finance is only delivered when the trees are standing and sequestrated requires significant initial investments that limit the popularity of this system. The total area of forests worldwide is just over four billion hectares, 31 percent of the total area of land. Only a third of this number is a primary forest due to the destruction of 40 million hectares since 2000. This original cover is only half that of 50 years ago. Asia is the only region which has recorded a net gain of 2.2 million hectares per year in the last decade, while South America and Africa have recorded a net annual loss of 4 and 3.4 million hectares respectively. The net loss of forest area over the period 2000-2010 was 5.2 million hectares. Israel and Bhutan are the only countries that have entered the 21st century with a net gain of trees. Bhutan has protected its forest in a newly adopted constitution which represents at least 60 percent of the total terrestrial mass. Israel has planted 240 million trees as a prerequisite for attracting and bringing 250,000 new settlers to life. This implies that the livelihood of each settlers implies the planting of a thousand trees.
Innovation
The challenge of reforestation projects is that they only pursue one objective: firewood or construction wood, now supplemented by sequestration of carbon. The emphasis placed on a single production orients companies towards maximizing production, the temptation to seek rapid solutions through genetically modified species seeming to be an obvious choice. In response to the growing awareness of damage caused to earth and ground by planting trees in monoculture, several organizations have undertaken to certify lasting forestry. Unfortunately, these certificates reduce the aggressive treatment of the earth, but do not generate additional advantages such as food. After all, today, either you have a forest, and you live trees (wood), or you cut the forest, sell the wood and cultivate the earth. Is it possible to get out of one or the other trap? Javier Herrero grew up on the island of Mallorca, which is part of the Balearic Islands of Spain, and has always been interested in combining his passion for nature with his education. He wants children to develop their innate human potential in contact with the external environment. He has developed a learning system that evolves around initiatives that emerge from the children themselves. He was very inspired by the work of Fritjof Capra and the concept of ecological literacy. He decided to contribute to the creation of a pedagogy where the best environment for learning is the forest. However, forests are always a cost, and a productive forest which recovers its investment requires maintenance in an urban or peri -urban environment. Consequently, he decided to rethink the models of existing gardens which are based on annual planting and harvesting cycles to create a edible perennial forest in order to learn more about nature, to cultivate food and to participate in the process of production of an ecosystem. It bridgets between the dichotomy between the forest and the farms, then ensures that it is not only a question of harvesting but improving the regenerative capacity of the earth, both in terms of food and forest. Javier then experienced for 15 years in various environments and concluded that a tiny forest can be installed at home, even on a balcony, or in a space open in the center of a city. And, if the space is really too limited, he applied the ancestral philosophy according to which the problems are opportunities, and began to plant vertically, covering a whole wall which not only provides nutrients, but which is even magnificent. Javier realized that one of the challenges is time. The creation of a edible forest requires patience. The preparation work can take a year, sometimes two since the creation of a small forest in a family garden is very different from the development of a two hectare plot. It may take five years for the forest to start to deliver its first harvest. After 15 years, you can enjoy a mature forest which - if it is well maintained - will provide edible fruits and nuts forever. Javier has made some simulations and concluded that if each family home and each school in the world was embarking on the creation of a edible forest on the earth and in the available space, inside and outside, we could reduce the concentration of carbon to the atmosphere to the pre -industrial levels. Javier thinks that humanity could even move from a permanent risk of hunger in the world to sufficiency.
The first cash flow
Javier had the opportunity to present his concepts to the Ecológico Urobia parque located in the city of Orba, between Alicante and Valence (Spain). He carefully selected and planted 700 varieties of species ranging from fruit trees, wood, medicinal, aromatic, herbaceous and shrub. A rainwater collection system channels 450,000 liters of fresh water each year in and around the newly planted forest, providing more than a commercial irrigation system could never afford. The channels - once built - provide an abundance of gravity water in a region that has traditionally suffered long sums with heat waves and a moisture shortage. Thanks to the abundance of water, animals and birds have returned. In cooperation with the Polytechnic University of Valencia, Javier and his team are currently assessing the rate of recovery of biodiversity. While Javier planted trees, he created a system that received additional seeds made by birds and bees for free which generates multiple income from a forest, serves as a learning tool, where the shortage of Water is converted into surplus while regenerating biodiversity, and which should work forever without additional cost is a good example of the blue economy.
The opportunity
In recent decades, it has been agreed and has even become a standard that all schools should have a gymnasium. Staying sitting in uncomfortable chairs for hours without having the right to move affected the physical and mental health of children. The gym has become an integral part of school buildings. The time has come to move to a second essential element that any educational infrastructure should have: access to a edible forest. At a time when children are undernourished, suffering from hunger, or supercharged, suffering from obesity, parents and teachers must ensure a learning platform so that children know that fruits and nuts are growing On the trees, with enough water and light. In the forest there are several layers of nutritious elements, soil with roots, undergrowth with mushrooms and berries, in the sofa with fruit. In this way, children can take charge of their future. In a country like South Africa where there are twice as many churches as schools, everyone could be asked to unite their efforts and ensure that the art of producing food is Not a privilege of a few multinationals and mega-farmers, but a fundamental know-how to which all children should be exposed. As Javier has demonstrated, with knowledge and patience, it is possible to create a edible forest that will forever produce once mature. Whenever land that was not productive can be converted into a space that generates food, then the value increases. This is why edible forests should not only be considered as an essential learning tool, they could very well be an opportunity for those who can imagine a new economic model.
