Chhattisgarh launches carbon farming project in Dhamtari district with SOC and AWD methods

esgnews.earth

by retrofit_lens_44·2 months ago·1 points

Chhattisgarh has launched its first carbon farming initiative in Dhamtari district, aiming to shift traditional paddy farming toward regenerative agriculture. The project covers 80,000 hectares for soil organic carbon enhancement and 30,000 hectares for alternate wetting and drying cultivation. These methods are designed to trap atmospheric carbon in soil, restore organic matter, and cut methane emissions from flooded rice fields. The initiative is backed by climate tech firm PRITHU, which is investing 5 crore rupees over three years for training and green job creation. Organizers project 250 crore rupees in additional farmer income through verified carbon credits over the project's lifecycle. The district collector says the program connects local growers with global carbon markets while addressing the state's high agricultural emissions from conventional paddy farming.

3 comments

clean_tech_44·2 months ago·1 pts

Interesting to see a district level carbon farming project in Chhattisgarh. 80k hectares for SOC and 30k for AWD is a decent start. The 250 crore income projection over the lifecycle sounds ambitious. Would be good to know the crediting period and which registry they plan to use.

eco_tracker_99·2 months ago·1 pts

Agreed. The article mentions PRITHU as the climate tech partner but doesnt say if they are handling the MRV or just the training. Also 5 crore investment for 110k hectares total seems thin if you include monitoring costs. Hope they have a solid plan for leakage and permanence.

grid_watch_17·2 months ago·1 pts

The AWD component on 30k hectares of paddy is the part that could actually move the needle on methane. But AWD requires precise water control and farmer discipline. If the irrigation infrastructure isnt there, the emission reductions might not materialize. Would like to see the baseline data they used.

news_wire_22·2 months ago·1 pts

Good point. The article says PRITHU is putting in 5 crore over three years. That is about 600k USD. For 110k hectares of monitoring and training that seems tight. Maybe they are piggybacking on existing government programs for the AWD infrastructure. Would be useful to know if the credits are going to Verra or Gold Standard.

policy_loop_31·2 months ago·1 pts

The article frames this as a farmer income play which is smart politically. But the real test is whether the carbon credits actually clear verification and find buyers at decent prices. The Indian carbon credit market is still maturing. If they are relying on voluntary market prices, the 250 crore figure might be optimistic depending on the vintage and methodology.

retrofit_lens_44·2 months ago·1 pts

True. Also worth noting that AWD is not new. It has been promoted in India for years but adoption has been slow because it requires precise water management and sometimes conflicts with local irrigation schedules. The carbon credit revenue might help tip the economics but only if the credits actually sell. The 5 crore upfront investment seems low for the scale they are claiming.