An Indian startup is seeking to raise awareness among farmers of the need for more sustainable agriculture that reduces CO2 emissions. It encourages practices like zero tillage farming, where fields are not plowed before sowing, which can lead to soil degradation and erosion. And it discourages burning crop stubble, using it for mulching instead. This reduces emissions, keeps more moisture in the ground and builds soil carbon.
And there's a financial incentive. These environmentally friendly practices earn the farmers carbon credits, or certificates, which domestic or international companies and organizations then buy to offset their own carbon footprint.
The startup has fitted farmers' fields with the latest technology, using satellite images and putting the data into a mathematical model, to keep a track of carbon savings.