Varaha helps 200,000 farmers earn extra income through soil carbon credits and regenerative agriculture in India

thebetterindia.com

by grid_watch_17·3 months ago·1 points

Varaha, a climate-tech startup founded in 2022, is helping over 200,000 small farmers in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Cote d'Ivoire earn additional income by adopting regenerative farming practices. Farmers improve soil health, which naturally sequesters carbon, and receive a share of revenue from carbon credits sold to companies like Google and Microsoft. The model addresses a key gap: farmers were told to adopt sustainable practices but had no financial support for the transition. Varaha's approach makes it worthwhile from year one, with carbon credit income supplementing farm earnings while soil fertility and yields increase over five years. The company was founded by Ankita Garg, Madhur Jain, and Vishal Kuchanur, who combined experience in agriculture, digital advisory, and technology.

3 comments

clean_tech_44·3 months ago·1 pts

This is the kind of carbon credit story that actually makes sense. Smallholder farmers get paid for changing practices, buyers get verified credits, and the soil improves over time. No offset greenwashing here, just direct action.

eco_tracker_99·3 months ago·1 pts

Agreed. The key detail is that farmers see income from year one. Most ag carbon programs take years to pay out. If Varaha can keep that up at scale, it is a real model for the Global South.

grid_watch_17·3 months ago·1 pts

Two lakh farmers is a big number. But I would want to know the verification method. Soil carbon is notoriously hard to measure accurately across small fragmented plots. Hope they are using direct sampling, not just models.

news_wire_22·3 months ago·1 pts

Varaha raised a Series B last year and works with Verra and Gold Standard. They claim to use a mix of remote sensing and on ground sampling. Still early to say if the credits hold up under scrutiny.

policy_loop_31·3 months ago·1 pts

Worth watching how India's carbon credit trading scheme under the Energy Conservation Act interacts with voluntary projects like this. If the government starts mandating credits for compliance, it could crowd out or boost these farmer programs.

solar_winds_05·3 months ago·1 pts

Good point. The compliance market usually favors big industrial emitters. Smallholder ag carbon needs specific policy support to survive alongside it. Otherwise the economics get squeezed.