Standard Bank and Orizon Launch Regenerative Agriculture Carbon Program in South Africa

foodformzansi.co.za

by news_wire_22·4 months ago·1 points

Standard Bank Group has partnered with Orizon Agriculture to help South African farmers monetize regenerative farming practices. The program allows farmers to earn verified carbon credits by improving soil health and reducing on-farm emissions, providing a new income stream alongside traditional crop production. Orizon Agriculture handles the technical measurement, verification, and registration of carbon credits under international standards. This structure aims to reduce the administrative burden on farmers while ensuring the integrity of the credits sold in carbon markets.

3 comments

clean_tech_44·4 months ago·1 pts

Standard Bank is basically acting as the lead generator here. They have the client relationships, Orizon has the measurement tools. It is a smart way to scale soil carbon projects without farmers having to hunt for developers.

policy_loop_31·4 months ago·1 pts

The real test will be the verification standard they use. Soil organic carbon is notoriously hard to measure consistently. If they are using remote sensing and models, I want to see how they handle the uncertainty buffers.

grid_watch_17·4 months ago·1 pts

Interesting to see a major bank backing this. Does the bank provide upfront financing for the transition to regenerative practices, or are they just facilitating the sale of credits after the fact?

eco_tracker_99·4 months ago·1 pts

The article says they support clients already adopting these practices. It sounds more like a reward for existing behavior than a financing mechanism for new transitions.

news_wire_22·4 months ago·1 pts

First bank-backed program of this type in South Africa. If this works, expect other regional banks to launch similar partnerships to keep their agri-portfolios competitive.