Source: Business Standard
Context
Agri-tech startup Grow Indigo has paid around 2,500 farmers ₹3,000–₹15,000 each for more than 57,000 agricultural carbon credits. The company made the payment from its own funds, even though the carbon credits have not yet been completely sold to buyers.
Key Highlights
Direct-Seeded Rice
- Many carbon credits were generated through Direct-Seeded Rice (DSR) instead of traditional rice transplantation.
- DSR: Rice seeds are directly sown in the field, avoiding the need to first grow seedlings in a nursery and then transplant them.
DSR Can Reduce Methane Emissions
A study by CSK Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya (CSKHPKV) and Savannah Seeds found that direct-seeded rice using SAVA-134 FullPage:
- Reduced methane emissions by nearly 90%.
- Improved water productivity.
- Improved soil health.
- Increased potential for carbon-credit generation.
Key Terms
- Carbon Credit: A tradable certificate representing the reduction or removal of a specified amount of greenhouse-gas emissions, generally 1 tonne of CO₂-equivalent.
- Agricultural Carbon Credit: Carbon credits generated through farming practices that reduce emissions or increase carbon storage.
- Direct-Seeded Rice (DSR): A method in which rice seeds are directly sown in the field instead of transplanting seedlings.
- Methane (CH₄): A powerful greenhouse gas produced in large quantities in flooded rice fields.
- Carbon Market: A market where carbon credits are generated, bought and sold.
- Water Productivity: The amount of agricultural output produced per unit of water used.
