Junior Editor

Sunday, October 11, 2026

English

Home
News

Transforming Manufacturing: TAGMA’s Next-Gen Tooling Showcase at 2026 Expo

Texas Agriculture Issues Urgent Alert As Invasive Pest Detected In Multiple Counties, Including Houston Area

USDA Launches New Regenerative Pilot Program To Lower Farmer Production Costs And Advance MAHA Agenda

Shibu Jose Joins Global Council Of The World Agriculture Forum (WAF)

India’s First Edible Oil Consumption Survey Underway

Prime Minister Sets Out AI Action Plan At UCL

UAE To Develop Lander For Emirates Asteroid Belt Mission

US To Have Unlimited Access To Al Chips
Agriculture

Bionetix Unveils New Technology for Managing Drain System Buildup

Aries Agro Q1 FY27 Results Highlight 49% Surge in Consolidated PAT

Westfalia Fruit Advances Its Vision for Avocado Growth Across Asia

South India Agriculture Conference Pushes Digital Farming, Precision Agriculture and Climate-Resilient Agriculture

Uneven Monsoon Raises Concerns Over India’s Kharif Crop Output as Harvest Season Nears

FAO Calls for Better Climate Finance to Strengthen Global Agrifood Systems

India Begins Soil-Carbon Payments to Farmers, Opening a New Revenue Opportunity for Sustainable Agriculture **NEW DELHI:** India has begun making payments to farmers linked to verified soil-carbon credits, marking a significant development in the country’s efforts to connect sustainable farming practices with emerging carbon markets. More than **2,500 farmers across Punjab and Haryana** are receiving payments associated with measured improvements in soil carbon, according to reports on the initiative. The development offers a new potential source of income for farmers while encouraging agricultural practices aimed at improving soil health and reducing greenhouse-gas emissions. The initiative comes as agriculture faces growing pressure to increase productivity while protecting natural resources. Continuous cultivation, excessive tillage, inefficient fertiliser use and declining soil organic matter can affect soil quality over time. Carbon-focused farming practices seek to address some of these challenges by increasing the amount of carbon stored in agricultural soils. ## What Are Soil-Carbon Credits? Soil-carbon credits are linked to the amount of carbon that agricultural practices can help remove from the atmosphere or retain in soil. Farmers can potentially generate credits by adopting practices that increase soil organic carbon or reduce emissions. Depending on the methodology used, these practices can include **reduced or zero tillage, improved residue management, cover crops, crop diversification, efficient fertiliser use and other regenerative farming techniques**. Credits are generally based on measured or verified changes rather than simply on whether a farmer has adopted a particular practice. This distinction is important because carbon markets require evidence that claimed emissions reductions or carbon storage have actually occurred. ## Creating an Additional Income Stream For farmers, the most significant feature of carbon farming is the possibility of receiving income beyond conventional crop sales. Agricultural revenue can fluctuate considerably because of weather, input prices, crop prices and market conditions. Payments associated with verified environmental outcomes could potentially provide farmers with an additional source of income. The emerging model links a farmer’s land-management decisions with demand from organisations seeking to account for or compensate for greenhouse-gas emissions. If carbon markets continue to develop, farmers who adopt suitable practices could potentially earn additional payments while also improving the long-term condition of their soil. ## Why Soil Health Matters Soil is one of agriculture’s most important natural resources. Healthy soils contain organic matter that supports soil structure, water retention and biological activity. Increasing soil organic carbon can contribute to improved soil quality, although the effects depend on local conditions, crop systems and management practices. Improved soil structure can potentially help fields retain water and withstand periods of moisture stress. For Indian agriculture, this is particularly relevant as farmers in many regions face increasing pressure from irregular rainfall and water availability. Better soil management can therefore have benefits that extend beyond carbon accounting. ## Farmers and Regenerative Agriculture The growth of soil-carbon programmes is also encouraging greater interest in **regenerative and climate-smart agriculture**. These approaches generally focus on improving soil health while maintaining or increasing agricultural productivity. Practices such as reduced tillage can limit soil disturbance. Keeping crop residues in fields can return organic material to the soil. Cover crops can protect soil between production cycles, while crop diversification can support soil biological activity. However, no single practice is suitable for every farm. Farmers need to consider local soil characteristics, water availability, crop requirements, machinery, labour and economics before changing their production systems. ## Measuring Carbon Is a Critical Step One of the biggest challenges in soil-carbon markets is determining how much carbon has actually been stored. Unlike a manufactured product, soil carbon can change over time because of weather, cultivation and biological processes. Carbon-credit programmes therefore need systems for **measurement, reporting and verification**. Soil samples, field records, remote sensing, modelling and other monitoring methods can be combined to estimate changes in soil carbon. Reliable verification is essential because buyers of carbon credits need confidence that the environmental benefit represented by a credit is real. For farmers, accurate measurement is equally important because payments depend on the amount of verified carbon benefits attributed to their land. ## The Importance of Long-Term Monitoring Soil-carbon storage is not necessarily permanent. Carbon levels can decline if land-management practices are reversed. For example, a farmer who moves toward reduced tillage and improved residue management may increase soil carbon over time, but changes in future farming practices could affect those gains. This means carbon programmes need long-term monitoring rather than relying only on a one-time measurement. Clear rules around monitoring, verification and the duration of carbon storage will be important as India’s agricultural carbon market develops. ## Punjab and Haryana at the Centre of the Initiative Punjab and Haryana have particular significance in India’s agricultural landscape. The two states are major contributors to the country’s food production, particularly through intensive cereal-based farming systems. At the same time, intensive agriculture has created concerns around soil health, water use and crop-residue management. This makes the region an important testing ground for approaches that attempt to combine farm productivity with environmental improvements. If carbon-linked payments prove economically viable, they could provide farmers with an additional incentive to experiment with improved soil-management practices. ## Carbon Markets and Indian Agriculture The emergence of agricultural carbon credits reflects the broader development of India’s carbon-market ecosystem. Carbon markets are designed to create an economic value for emissions reductions or carbon removal. Companies and other organisations may purchase credits depending on regulatory requirements, voluntary commitments or other market mechanisms. Agriculture represents a potentially large area of opportunity because soils, vegetation and agricultural practices interact directly with the carbon cycle. However, agricultural carbon markets are still developing, and their long-term impact will depend on the quality of crediting methodologies, market demand and the costs associated with monitoring and verification. ## Technology Could Lower the Cost of Participation Digital technologies could play an increasingly important role in expanding soil-carbon programmes. Satellite imagery can help monitor agricultural land, while digital farm records can provide information about crop rotations and field practices. Soil sensors and improved sampling techniques can provide additional data. Artificial intelligence and machine-learning models may also help analyse large quantities of agricultural and environmental information. The use of technology could eventually reduce the cost of measuring and verifying carbon outcomes, making smaller farms more practical participants in carbon markets. ## Making Carbon Farming Accessible to Small Farmers India’s agricultural landscape is dominated by small and marginal farmers, which means that accessibility will be critical. If carbon-credit programmes involve expensive testing, complicated contracts or high administrative costs, smaller farmers may struggle to participate. Programmes that aggregate farmers across multiple villages or regions could potentially reduce these costs. Farmer-producer organisations, cooperatives and other agricultural institutions could also play a role by helping farmers understand carbon programmes, coordinate participation and access technical assistance.

BRICS New Delhi Summit Puts Focus on Agro-Ecology, Digital and Climate-Resilient Agriculture
Farmers

Shivraj Singh Chouhan Highlights PM-KISAN Milestone in Patna: Empowering India’s Farmers

Gau Sampurna: Revolutionizing Livestock Management for India’s Farmers

VK Packwell: Transforming Indian Agriculture with Affordable & Innovative Irrigation Solutions

India’s kharif crop planting area rises; paddy leading year-on-year

Robust rains accelerate rice planting in India

Govt says crop insurance claims worth Rs 2,761.10 cr pending under PMFBY till 2021-22

India’s rice planting gathers pace as monsoon rains revive

Rice planting gathers pace as monsoon rains revive
technology

New Holland’s ‘Super Safar’: A Customer-Led Journey Through Haryana and Punjab

Indian Car Makers Plan Major Manufacturing Expansion After Record Gst-Driven Sales

AI for Bharat: Revolutionizing Agriculture, Healthcare, and Education

Driving Transparency: KOLTIVA Leads Sustainable Agribusiness Innovation at Agri Vietnam 2025

AI Leadership: A New Era of Innovation in Information Management

Prime Minister Sets Out AI Action Plan At UCL

COLINES Innovative Cast MOPE Film for Printing on Show at DRUPA Event

Ola Cloud Migration: Shifting IT Workload From AWS After Exiting Microsoft Azure
Research

HarvestPlus and Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology Join Forces to Accelerate Biofortification Research in India

G20 MACS to focus on sustainable agriculture, food security

Growth dips, public investment stagnant in agriculture sector

State requires an outlook report to remove uncertainty in agriculture: CM

Crop waste cattle feed solution ‘averts toxic fires’

There is need to intensify agricultural research: Minister
Economy

India to host World Coffee Conference for first time in September

India’s agriculture and food inflation face challenges from erratic rains and El Nino

Explained: How D2C Organic Farming Is Also Empowering Local Communities

India can become sustainable fuel hub by using agri waste: Honeywell

Sahakar Se Samriddhi: 2,500 Kisan Drones To Be Procured By IFFCO For Sustainable Agriculture

Small dairy farmers: The backbone of Indian dairy

Union Budget 2023-24: India’s farmers can take to organic agriculture with proper support

Opinion | From Crop Failure to Food Security: How Climate Change Affects Farmers and Communities
India

New Holland’s ‘Super Safar’: A Customer-Led Journey Through Haryana and Punjab

Manipal University Jaipur Launches International Innovation Challenge IIC 3.0

Ethereal Machines Raises US$13 Million to Boost Advanced Manufacturing in India

10th Ecowaste Exhibition & Forum To Create Blueprint For Addressing Region’s Waste Challenges

Pakka Limited and Brawny Bear Join Hands to Launch India’s First Compostable Flexible Packaging

SIG lays Foundation of its First Indian Aseptic Carton plant in Ahmedabad

VK Packwell: Transforming Indian Agriculture with Affordable & Innovative Irrigation Solutions

Climate Change Leading to Erratic Agriculture in India

India’s G20 Presidency Highlights Food Safety Net Programmes, Says Agriculture Ministry
- Rural
  
  Impact of Startups on Indian Agriculture and Rural Growth
  
  Sahakar Se Samriddhi: 2,500 Kisan Drones To Be Procured By IFFCO For Sustainable Agriculture
  
  Pioneering Pigeonpea Project Unveiled in India
  
  Crop waste cattle feed solution ‘averts toxic fires’
  
  Promoting Inclusive Business in Agriculture and Food Systems in India
  
  Agri finance company Kissandhan eyes 15% of Farmers Producer Organisation business, signs up four FPOs in West Bengal
  
  Agro Tech 2022: Rural farmers bat for technology in agriculture
- Startup
  
  Karsan’s 100% Electric Autonomous e-JEST Hits the Roads in America
  
  65 Startups Named to MedTech Innovator 2024 Cohort
  
  Yatra Unveils AI-Powered Tool to Help Smes, Large Enterprises Manage Expenses Efficiently
  
  Vietnam Education Startup Prep Bags US$7 Million in Series A Funding
  
  ’80-100 Hours a Week, No WFH’: Sachin Bansal on Building Fintech Startup Navi After Flipkart
  
  ‘Never had a Funding Winter… Good Firms Always had Enough Money to Back Them’: Sanjeev Bikhchandani
  
  Amazon Invests US$2.75 Billion in AI Startup Anthropic
  
  Agriculture Accelerator Fund To Encourage Startups: Finance Minister
  
  The agriculture budget has increased; we have now over 3,000 agri startups: PM Modi

No Result

View All Result

No Result

View All Result

Home Author

Opinion | Weather Blues Again: Organic Farming Need of the Hour in India

by Junior Editor

April 11, 2023

Opinion | Weather Blues Again: Organic Farming Need of the Hour in India The weather this season has been unkind...

Agri-tech: Technological advancements have been reshaping farming

by Junior Editor

April 11, 2023

Agri-tech: Technological advancements have been reshaping farming Finding novel approaches to boost production and new solutions for more efficiency, while...

How can agriculture in India be improved by 2030?

by Junior Editor

March 28, 2023

How can agriculture in India be improved by 2030? India has a vast arable land area with 15 agro-climatic zones...

How India can create opportunities for its new-age farmers

by Junior Editor

March 28, 2023

How India can create opportunities for its new-age farmers India’s agriculture industry has been neglected for a long time. As...

Agriculture Minister calls upon students and youth to contribute to make agriculture more profitable and villages more prosperous

by Junior Editor

March 20, 2023

Agriculture Minister calls upon students and youth to contribute to make agriculture more profitable and villages more prosperous Union Minister...

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar speaking at 61st convocation of the Indian Agriculture Research Institute

Agriculture, agro-based industries are driving force of India’s economy: VP

by Junior Editor

March 20, 2023

Agriculture, agro-based industries are driving force of India’s economy: VP India is expected to be the third largest economy by...

India discusses agricultural issues with Guyana, Suriname, Zambia, Mauritius and Sri Lanka

by Junior Editor

March 20, 2023

India discusses agricultural issues with Guyana, Suriname, Zambia, Mauritius and Sri Lanka Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar held bilateral...

Kisan Mela, which was opened by Deputy Commissioner Vishesh Paul Mahajan, marked start of agricultural activity in hilly district after a long winter

Govt Approves Rs 900 cr for Holistic Development of Agri Sector in J&K

by Junior Editor

March 20, 2023

Govt Approves Rs 900 cr for Holistic Development of Agri Sector in J&K The Government has sanctioned Rs 900 crore...

J-K farmers happy with 29 projects of agriculture department on 'holistic development'

Rs 900 crore sanctioned for holistic development of agriculture sector in J-K

by Junior Editor

March 20, 2023

Rs 900 crore sanctioned for holistic development of agriculture sector in J-K Synopsis Director Agriculture production and farmers welfare department...