Project HARVEST

About Solution

Plantasian’s Solution

PlantAsian Agro-Forestry Management Systems Inc. (‘PlantAsian’)designs and implements the production of food crops for marginalized people as well as and green energy biomass that reducegreenhouse gas emissionsthrough innovativebioengineeringrehabilitation systems to reduce deforestation and groundwater usage along with advanced technologysolutions to enhance the value of marginal lands by intergrating agribusiness opportunities with modern horticultural management and hybrid clone crops that achieve higher yields plus, in lowering costs through the reduction of inefficiencies in post harvest processing-storage-packing along with a significant focus on increasing farm-to-market transport infrastructure; all of which help to increase wealth creation for the local communities with whom we partner.

We are committed to employment and educational basedCommunity Social Responsibility(“CSR”) programs that enhance knowledge transfer, particularly to women and the youth, throughvalue-addsecondary processing and manufacture of foods and biofuels that stimulate community financial and social growth which we monitor through a projects flora-fuana and human dynamic, underEvnvironmental Social Governence(“ESG”) impact assessments.

Through the Mohammed Bin Rashid Initiative for Global Prosperity, PlantAsian issubmitting itsDiscovery Solutionsfor the Sustainable Energy Challenge,with the intention to seekpossible collaboration-alliance opportunities to promotestewardship through the establishment of an international strategic partnership to progress the following;

Transform Lahar Deposits;(similar to nutrient poor desert sands) Increase smallholder agricultural productivity by reversing environmental degradation through integration of technologies (AgriSoil™[1])and farming methodologies (biomass composting, micro irrigation) to stimulate conversion of lahars deposited from Mt. Pinatubo’s 1991 volcanic eruption from desertified lands into viable farmland for the Aeta indigenous people.

Crop Biomass;(duckweed algae and vetiver grass)An integrated growing platform to generate biofuelsto enable communities to harness and transition to electricity sources in an affordable way that in turn, deploy clean cooking technologies along with refrigeration of goods and A/C in homes as energy-efficient, off-grid, or through non-electrical approaches from the production of biofuel liquids (biodiesel and ethanol) which fit cultural norms.

PlantAsian’s Project HARVEST Lahar Basin Integrated Development

Project HARVEST’S[2]location is 4 hours drive north of Manila, anda visitor-training center and educational hub for biomass and biofuels studies will be establishedwith capacity building for nearby collages and institutions in partnership with energy focused international learning centersto encourage the indigenous Aeta people to become involved in biomass production for the extraction of oils to support the biofuel businesses and income generating opportunities for these people to contribute into the wider community’s welfare.

PlantAsian’s rural agro industrial model supports social change and economic growth by developing affordable solar and biofuel energy through construction of an initial proof of concept ½ Mw power plant to supply a mini off-grid for distribution into our host community of indigenous Aeta landowners.

The larger capital to construct a commercial feed-in-grid power plant for ethanol or biodiesel-biocoal fuel usage will be developed at a later date to provide a viable economic foundation and the financial sustainability for the project to producesustainable fuels that can replace refined petroleum or LPG as safeclean alternatives for vehicle and domestic cooking needs, which in turn will support asustainable environmental platform by using algae and vetiver grass as our major raw biomass materials in the production of clean biofuel, so we remain ‘carbon neutral’ which will encourage economic development through acceptance from our host communities, which in turn, will attract business investors.

The business model is for the commercial biofuels is to generate cash flow through electricity sales into the mini grid then to organize the longer-term biofuel production through a large scale (+2,000 Hectare) biomass cropping operation by processing biocoal for export sales (+Syngas for local power generation) along with biochar for production ofAgriSoil™.

Financial modeling exhibits cash flows in line with the Philippine governments previous feed-in-tariff rates although considerable‘value add’is expected through the manufacture of upstream biocoal and possibly, ethanol.

Our Solution addresses the following priorities:

1) Developing and promoting rural household and community services access to renewable energy technology and systems including promotion of energy efficiency and energy saving measures;

2)Generation of renewable forms of energy in rural areas in support to livelihoods and sustainable job creation for the poor and marginalized;

3)Supporting and promoting adoption of disaster resilient energy solutions, approaches structures and systems;

4)Raising renewable energy (RE) awareness, induce behavioral changes on adoption of best available RE practices among community and policy makers segments leading to reflecting RE themes in decision making processes and application in development sectors at community level.

5)The Project will integrate cross cutting issues of (i) inclusion of vulnerable groups (ii) gender and (iii) climate change mitigation principles.

Actions proposed will adhere to the followingpriorities:

a)Funding will contribute to the achievement of the government's electrification goals in a sustainable way and contribute to the lahar affected lands, by assisting in soil remediation and of viable food cropping agricultural soils to mitigate this on-going disaster.

b)Socio-economicallysustainable due to job creation through related agriculture, eco-tourism and hydro electricity generation projects.

c)Generate sufficient revenues through the collection of electricity fees that are affordable by the project beneficiaries to cover the Operation, Maintenance and Management (OM&M) costs of the project and through power agreements under the Philippine Department of Energy’s Green Power Sustainable Energy Off-Take Program.

d)Possibility expand the plant to cover additional demand by the communities, and financed by the electricity producer. In addition, to contribute to the local economy through the development of income generating activities (e.g. productive use of energy or livelihood opportunities) and to the improvement of living conditions of the local populations, particularly women, children and marginalized groups such as the Aeta indigenous people.

e)Quantifiable indicators of the impact of electrification on the local populations currently include some 6 communities involving approximately 700 residents but expected to multiply through related income-generated activities, with expected economics to excel existing household revenues.

f)Project management structure is a Build Own Operate and Transfer (‘BOOT’) program intended to provide Institutional sustainability that promotes continued operational success of the project during its entire expected lifetime. Furthermore, actions shall demonstrate that the target beneficiaries, including women, will be involved in the design and implementation of the action and how they anchor lasting ownership of the target beneficiaries and also aim at attaining sustainability at policy level by demonstrating a positive impact on the local and national legislation that should support similar lahar based transformation biomass agricultural projects in and around Mt. Pinatubo in the future. As such, our Solution is coherent and aligned with sector, local, regional and national development plans, including, climate change adaptation and mitigation, poverty reduction and energy access strategies. The proposed Solution is environmentally sustainable and will show a positive impact at local level to contribute to the conservation of natural resources and reduce the GHG emissions that are or would otherwise be produced by the use of non-renewable sources of energy.

g)Productive and welfare use of energy will go beyond increasing access to affordable energy services to include activities that promote or stimulate local productive activities so as to promote economic growth, generate jobs and increase livelihood opportunities through the LGU’s agencies andother government agencies to provide livelihood trainings, particularly for home-based or community-based industries.Actions to be considered will provide or enhance access to social welfare services such as nutrition, health, education, and sanitation, so as to improve living conditions or quality of life of target beneficiaries. Quantifiable indicators shall be provided on how access to social welfare services will be improved, especially for women and children.

h)Solution will maintain an active role of womeninthe development, implementation, operation and management of the proposed actions. Women shall be offered an active role during the whole life cycle of the proposed projects from the early community consultations to their operation and management. Applicants will provide quantifiable indicators of the concrete involvement of women in the projects.

i)Solution will however, also involve private investors and financial institutions to contribute up to 1 million dollars in support of the project, including in mitigating associated construction risks and involve Public Private Partnerships from international and local levels under the BOOT program. Innovative ways to leverage private and commercial funding will also be proposed under the overriding principles of affordability and benefits to users/citizens and compliance with normal financial and contractual rules.

[1]PlantAsian’s proprietary manufacturing method to createAgriSoil™combines a variety of nitrogen fixing plants, activated carbon (biochar), slimes and specific types of biomass inoculants

[2]Helping Agri Revitalization of Volcanic Exhalatives by Soil Transition (HARVEST) for Holistic Agribusinesses and Robust, Vibrant Enterprises for Social Transformation (HARVEST)

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