A graduate from Clarkson University in New York has developed an agroforestry project in Uganda that will offset some of the university’s carbon emissions.

According to a media release from the university, Alex French, has helped to establish 2 nurseries which will grow 20,000 seedlings each year. These will be transplanted to several locations around Mbarara in Uganda in order to sequester carbon.

"Preliminary calculations suggest that the annual carbon sequestration from this project could equal to our campus airfare emissions," says French.

In addition, microfinance groups have been set up to create paid jobs for women who work on the agroforestry project.

The initiative has received funding from Clarkson's Institute for Sustainable Environment sustainability fund and French has partnered with the nonprofit Trees for the Future and Mbarara University of Science and Technology.

As part of the project, Clarkson students studying sustainability and microfinance will have the opportunity to travel to Uganda as part of their studies. Both Clarkson and Mbarara students will take an inventory of the trees each year to determine survival and growth rates and estimate the amount of carbon sequestered.

Read the full story: Clarkson University Grad Student Develops Agroforestry Project in Uganda to Offset Carbon Emissions, Create Jobs

Find out how the World Agroforestry Centre is working towards becoming carbon neutral