Aadi’ Farmer Carbon Programme

About Aadi’ Farmer Carbon Programme

• Aadi’ is the first flagship farmer-carbon programme in India to issue agricultural carbon credits under the Verra VM0042 methodology.
  • Verra’s VM0042 is a Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) methodology used to measure, quantify, and credit greenhouse gas reductions and soil carbon storage from improved agricultural land management.
• Launched by: The ‘Aadi’ Farmer Carbon Programme was launched by Grow Indigo in 2019 with technical guidance from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
  • Supporting institutions: It involves ICARs, agricultural universities, Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) and State institutions.
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
• Aim: The programme aims to encourage farmers to adopt regenerative and climate-smart farming practices while providing them with an additional source of income through carbon credits.
  • The initiative is part of a wider transition towards regenerative agriculture in Punjab and Haryana.
• Focus: It focuseson crop-residue management, water conservation and farming practices aimed at improving soil health and climate resilience.
• Features:
  • Under the programme, farmers adopted practices such as Direct Seeded Rice (DSR), reduced tillage and improved crop-residue management during 2019–2022.
    • The greenhouse-gas reductions and increases in soil carbon resulting from these practices were scientifically measured and independently verified before carbon credits were issued.
  • The first payments were initiated for 2,550 farmers from Punjab and Haryana, with the farmers set to receive more than ₹2.9 crore through digital payments.
    • Individual participating farmers received approximately ₹3,000 to ₹15,000, depending on their share of the carbon credits generated from their fields.
  • The first issuance of carbon credits covered around 30,000 acres and generated more than 50,000 carbon credits.
    • Grow Indigo released the payments from its own funds before the carbon credits were fully sold, allowing farmers to receive the money without waiting for the sale proceeds.
  • Farmers could choose between an assured upfront payment and 75 per cent of the net carbon revenue after the carbon credits were sold.
• Coverage: The programme currently covers more than two million acres and over 100,000 farmers across seven states.