Indian Rice Farmers to Earn Incentives Via Carbon Credit for Sustainable Agriculture
A collaborative joint sector program is being launched in a first-of-its-kind initiative to encourage small farmers to adopt environmentally sustainable agriculture practices, particularly in rice-growing regions of India, reports Krishi Jagran. Farmers will be able to earn carbon credit for using low tillage and direct seeding techniques.
Grow Indigo (GIPL), a joint venture between seed giant Mahyco and U.S.-based Indigo, is spearheading the carbon farming initiative. Initially, the scheme would focus on rice-growing areas in Punjab and Haryana, before expanding to include Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. Farmers in the important rice-growing region may be eligible for carbon credits if they implement sustainable measures that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and boost soil carbon absorption.
“We’ve brought 4,000 hectares into the carbon farming program in Punjab, and an MoU with Haryana will be signed soon,” Usha Zehr, GIPL’s executive director, told FE. The Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) will contribute its expertise in remote sensing technology to the project’s satellite surveillance of rice fields registered by farmers to verify their claims of using sustainable methods.
The carbon standard (Verra) protocol, which is a global voluntary GHG reduction program, will be used to certify the program, according to Zehr. The carbon credit will be granted to farmers based on certification. GIPL will also assist farmers in selling their produce at a higher price.
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