Indian farmers earn Rs 2.9 crore from soil-carbon credits under Grow Indigo's Aadi program

More than 2,550 farmers in Punjab and Haryana received over Rs 2.9 crore in India's first large-scale farm-level soil-carbon payments. The payments came under the Aadi program run by Grow Indigo, where farmers adopted direct-seeded rice, reduced tillage, and better crop-residue management. These practices cut emissions and increased soil carbon, verified independently before credits were issued. The first issuance covered about 30,000 acres and generated over 50,000 credits, with each farmer getting roughly Rs 3,000 to Rs 15,000. The program also reports significant co-benefits: an estimated 45 billion liters of water saved and 200,000 tonnes of crop residue kept from burning, avoiding about 1,000 tonnes of PM2.5 emissions. This is part of India's broader push to build a voluntary carbon market in agriculture, with ICAR providing technical guidance and even holding carbon education sessions for farmers. While the payment per farmer is modest, it shows that climate-friendly farming can create a real income stream beyond crop sales.