1 I SECTION TITLE TING ra CELEB 2019-2020 Annual Report 2 I Message from the Executive Director We are delighted that with the release of this annual report, Taking Root is celebrating 10 years of reforesting with impact. Ten years ago, when Taking Root’s Communitree program was registered as a Plan Vivo project, we were working with just a handful farmers, testing out the idea of using the carbon markets to reforest land with smallholder farmers. Now the Communitree program is engaging thousands of farming families and has become the single largest reforestation initiative in Nicaragua, with Taking Root’s model being applied in 9 countries on all 3 tropical continents across the globe. Reflecting back on the early years, we could not be more pleased with the impact we have been able to achieve by partnering with smallholder farmers to grow trees. These last ten years have led us to 2020, Taking collaborative initiatives, the private sector also world. We have also continued to develop new Root’s most impactful year yet. Several landmark revealed new large-scale carbon commitments, and innovative practices on the ground, such milestones were achieved, including planting our further highlighting how much value natural as the use of biochar to enhance Taking Root’s 10 millionth tree and issuing our one millionth climate solutions will have to realize their reforestation activities and improve farmer carbon credit with Plan Vivo. As has been at targets. At an operational level, COVID-19 outcomes. It is extremely rewarding for everyone the heart of Taking Root from the beginning, highlighted the flexibility of Taking Root’s local to see years of research and development begin the power of partnership and collaboration in team in Nicaragua, who used their position as an to fulfil technologies’ promise of enhancing tackling the climate crisis was reflected in the outreach organization to provide public health impact. continued rapid growth of Taking Root. The support to the rural and remote communities whole organization demonstrated its collective that we work with. As Taking Root embarks on its next 10 determination, surpasing initial planting targets years, we are more ambitious than ever to and reforesting double the area compared to the Throughout Taking Root’s 10 years, innovation use reforestation as a means to meet the previous year. has been at the heart of our work, and this year challenge of the climate crisis while supporting was no exception. FARM-TRACE is close to being smallholder farmers. Despite the challenges brought on by COVID-19, launched as an Approved Approach with Plan companies and governments continued to Vivo, which would allow any smallholder project We are forever grateful for our many friends and prioritize natural climate solutions, exemplified to automate their forest and carbon reporting. partners that continue to believe in us and make through large-scale collaborative initiatives This will make it easier for organizations working all our work possible. such as the launch of the UN Decade on with smallholder farmers to access financing for Ecosystem Restoration, the World Economic forest carbon and is a significant step in creating Sincerely, Forum’s 1 trillion trees challenge (1t.org) and the new ways to scale natural climate solutions Kahlil Baker, PhD Green Gigaton Challenge. In addition to these within smallholder supply chains all over the Executive Director at Taking Root 3 I 10 MILLION TREES 1.5 MILLION PLANTED! TONNES 10 years of OF CO2 being sequestered $6 MILLION being directed to reforestation Taking Root's model being used in OVER 1,300 3 continents and 9 countries Nicaragua team grows to with impact around the world FARMERS 44 sta, Canada team grows to 14 Taking Root’s CommuniTree Project becomes largest reforestation initiative 2020 in Nicaragua Governor General of Canada honours Taking Root co-founders with the Meritorious Service Cross, Taking Root presents its model to the one of Canada’s highest civilian honours United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO) in Rome 2019 created through a collaboration with the University of British Columbia, 2018 using remote sensing to automate forest and carbon reporting First Coee Agroforestry forests planted to help coee farmers adapt to climate change by growing high-yielding 2016 shade grown coee systems 100,000 $1 MILLION 2015 Taking Root wins Monitoring Award from TONNES being directed to Rainforest Alliance’s Eco-Index OF CO2 OVER 500 1 MILLION being sequestered FARMERS TREES PLANTED! 2013 2012 Taking Root’s CommuniTree Program in Nicaragua becomes a The CommuniTree Certified Plan Vivo Carbon Project Program expands with a Silvopastoral growing native tree species with farmers on underused land method for cattle farmers to grow 2010 trees alongside their cows THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS FOR HELPING REFOREST WITH IMPACT Message from the Executive Director 2 Index 1. 2020 Impacts at a Glance 5 2. Project Updates 6 Taking Root Continues to Grow Impact 7 Innovations for better reforestation 10 Overcoming 2020’s Challenges 12 Looking forward to 2021 14 3. CommuniTree Activities & 2020 Program Size 16 Changes to project documentation since last annual report 17 Current land-use activities 17 2020 participation and program size 18 4. Submission for Plan Vivo Certificate Issuance 19 Recruitment of new smallholders 20 Land changes 20 Program sales and allocations 20 Carbon sales 21 5. Monitoring Results 22 Summary of 2020 results for new 2020 plan vivos 22 Summary of 2020 results for previous plan vivos 22 Socio-economic and environmental impacts 23 6. PES Update 24 Total payments for ecosystem services made 24 7. Ongoing Community Participation 25 8. Breakdown of Organizational Costs 26 Organizational expenses and revenue 26 Appendix 1: Impact Summary Report 27 Appendix 2: Equivalent Hectare Calculation 28 Appendix 3: Land Changes in 2020 29 Appendix 4: Detailed Carbon Sales to Date 34 Appendix 5: Monitoring Results 38 Appendix 6: New Communities in 2020 39 farmers added in 410 2020 3,048,694 2020 Impacts trees planted 1 at a Glance 2,295 9 landless farmers employed 1,357 countries where Taking Root’s farmers approach is being now enrolled in the applied Taking Root program 18,889 624,216 $0.78m farmer tonnes of carbon being sequestered paid to workshops farmers delivered COVID-safe See Appendix 1 for a summary table of 2020 impacts for CommuniTree project 2,107 hectares reforested 6 I PROJECT UPDATES 2 Project Updates Jose Salomon Gonzlez on his farm in Cantil de las Canas, San Juan de Rio Coco. 7 I PROJECT UPDATES Taking Root continues to grow impact TaKING ROOT created more impact than ever in 2020 despite the added challenges brought about by COVID-19. As businesses and governments increasingly turned to natural climate solutions for effective climate action, Taking Root was able to exponentially amplify its impact through its best-practice approach to reforestation with smallholder farmers. Taking Root’s CommuniTree project in Nicaragua continued to grow, while helping other forest and carbon initiatives around the world adopt its model. “I have now planted 15,000 trees The growth and scale of the impact achieved in 2020 is a testament to Taking Root’s Nicaraguan and Canadian on my farm and they give me many teams’ dedication, commitment and ambition. benefits as well as creating work for As Taking Root’s teams focus on scaling their impacts even further for next year, on the following pages the community.” showcase some of the ways Taking Root has grown and delivered impact in 2020. - Norvin GradiZ, 2020 FARMER, COMMUNITREE Program Farmer Norvin Gradiz on his farm in San Jose, Somoto PROJECT UPDATES I 8 CommuniTree Project doubles in size In 2020, Taking Root’s committed to tackling climate Last year also marked two other CommuniTree project met change. For example, working important milestones for Taking unprecedented planting targets, closely with the Arbor Day Root. As of 2020, Taking Root doubling the annual growth of the Foundation, CommuniTree was has planted over 10,000,000 project in terms of land reforested included in Microsoft’s portfolio of trees, and issued over 1,500,000 for the second year in a row. carbon removal projects to meet Plan Vivo Certificates. Given that their ambitious goal of becoming 2020 witnessed significant local Collaborations with Taking Root’s carbon negative by 2030. New and global challenges, these longstanding partners drove the collaborations like this have milestones are outstanding growth of the project, delivering resulted in Taking Root reforesting accomplishments for Taking climate impacts for some of over 2,000 hectares in 2020, double Root’s Nicaragua team and the the world’s leading businesses the area of 2019. farmers that they work with. Taking Root’s model applied in 9 countries in all 3 tropical continents Beyond project growth in always been integral to the Taking FARM-TRACE is being used to and has the potential to be used as a Nicaragua, Taking Root’s position Root model, recognised across automate forest and carbon tool around the world to unlock huge as a global leader in smallholder the industry for its focus on using reporting across carbon, coffee, impact by catalyzing investments reforestation continues to be technology to deliver high quality cacao, cattle and spices supply into natural climate solutions with demonstrated with its approach impacts and improve farmer chains, providing specific smallholder farmers. being applied across the globe. livelihoods. Through Taking Root’s and transparent insights for platform, FARM-TRACE, this model organizations to verify and claim Building incentives for reforestation is now being applied in 9 countries their impacts. While still in its early with smallholder farmers has around the world. stages, it is clear that FARM-TRACE PROJECT UPDATES I 9 Canadian and Nicaraguan teams growing rapidly The organization’s size and capacity have significantly increased in both Canada and Nicaragua as Taking Root continues to scale its impact.