Vermicomposting to sequester carbon, enrich soil and improve livelihoods by Jaya Organic Yojana
Please find below the
Finalist Evaluation
Judges'' comments
This is a great idea that is already having success in some areas, but in other places it will have limited benefits, particularly with urbanization where projections indicate some 75% of people will be living in cities. It is also unclear what the CoLab funding will be used for and the proposal appears to require relatively complex external actions such as national and state government legislation, corporate support of carbon credits, and commercialization of the vermicompost. However, farm-level and community-level advantages of vermicomposting can be substantial, and adoption, if effectively promoted, should be enough to encourage its use. We appreciate how the proposal addressed challenges and we suggest you consider reducing the complexity and including a more detailed budget of how costs are determined if you would like to submit again next year.
Semi-Finalist Evaluation
Judges'' ratings
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Judges'' comments
The judges appreciate the thought put into the proposal and the replicability of it. Vermicomposting has been tried since many decades and the soil benefits are positive. It would be very interesting to see how you can promote adoption and larger scale impact. You may want to consider adding in promotion of manure use or other activities to expand impact.
Though we are recommending the project, I do have one large concern with the project model; it sounds very close to a direct marketing or pyramid scheme model used in many countries, including the U.S., which often leave the poorest people in debt with the empty promise of making money. This has also been a problem in South Asia leading to debt history.
We suggest addressing the two points above as you revise the proposal.
 Brennan Lake Oct 23, 2017 06:59  | Proposal creator Dear Climate Co-Lab's Judges: Thank you for reviewing our proposal, and advancing it to the semi-finals! Thank you also for your constructive evaluation comments. We have added many clarifying points to our proposal. Moreover, I would respectfully refute your comparison of our model to direct-marketing schemes. As now clarified in our proposal, unlike for-profit and multi-tiered marketing schemes, Jaya Organic Yojana (JOY) does not push financing on its beneficiaries, nor does it receive any profit. Indeed, at an operational level, JOY is financed entirely by grants, CSR-supported funds, and private philanthropy. As a nonprofit organization whose mission is to restore soil fertility, improve environmental outcomes and boost the livelihoods of smallholder farmers, JOY has no intent or interest in commercializing its operations, but rather is motivated to drive the widespread adoption of vermiculture across India for the aforementioned environmental and social rationales. |
 Olawale Olaniyan Oct 28, 2017 10:19  | Dear Brennan, Congrats on your achievement making it to the semi-final! Good to know that you have carefully reviewed your proposal. You may be aware that there are still few more days to further incorporate new ideas into proposals. Best wishes, Olawale |
Brennan Lake Nov 2, 2017 01:03 | Proposal creator Dear Climate Co-Lab's Judges: Further to my previous comment and as requested, the following outlines the revisions we have made to our proposal: -Additional information on benefits to farmers of using vermicompost on their land. -Clarification of JOY's role as a facilitator of vermicomposting, and its training program model. -Elaboration of how JOY can tap the voluntary carbon market in order to cover farmers' upfront costs. -Clarification on how upfront costs are funded through financing, CSR funds, grants et al. Thank you! |
