Agri-tech company GrowIndigo helps farmers switch to climate-friendly practices, such as zero tillage. Farmers receive payments in exchange for cutting emissions under a carbon credit scheme. Can this approach help India meet its climate goals?
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00:00Harinder Kaur, a farmer in Amritsar, has made the switch to sustainable agriculture.
00:08She practices zero tillage farming.
00:11Her wheat fields are not ploughed before sowing.
00:14Traditional cultivation usually involves tilling.
00:17It removes weeds and prepares the soil for planting, but it can lead to soil degradation
00:22and erosion.
00:23Kaur no longer burns crop stubble either, using it for mulching instead.
00:29This reduces emissions and aids moisture retention.
00:32If we don't till our land after paddy, we can easily grow the wheat.
00:42Like the stubble which is in the field, we put grains on it and then again with the help
00:50of a cutter we cut that stubble and that all settles down.
00:54And with warmth and with the climate, it has to grow.
00:59So that can save our diesel and also no burning of stubble.
01:06She learned about sustainable farming through Grow Indigo.
01:09The start-up helps farmers generate carbon credits if they adopt climate-friendly practices.
01:14Grow Indigo staff also regularly visits farms to raise awareness about sustainable methods.
01:22For example, zero tillage wheat, it builds soil carbon, it removes carbon dioxide from
01:27the air and builds soil carbon.
01:29It's like planting a tree underground.
01:34Carbon credits are certificates that domestic or international companies or organizations
01:38can buy to offset their own carbon footprint.
01:42Farmers who reduce greenhouse gas emissions receive payments for the credits.
01:47The company gauges the impact as far as that is possible.
01:51What as company Grow Indigo does, it measures and quantifies that environmental benefit
01:56and companies are ready to pay for this benefit who are focused on sustainability.
02:01And the money that comes flows to the farmers.
02:03So that is all about the carbon program.
02:07The start-up has fitted farmers' fields with the latest technology to keep a track of carbon
02:11savings.
02:14Employees monitor each field with the help of satellite images.
02:20The data is fed into a mathematical model which then predicts the emissions saved within
02:26a defined area.
02:29One certified carbon unit is equal to one tonne of carbon dioxide.
02:33Now how much is one tonne of carbon dioxide?
02:35It's almost driving 4,000 kilometres.
02:40Punjab's farmers hope the carbon credits scheme will provide additional revenue.
02:46Now the verification process is over.
02:48The sale of their carbon credits will be completed by the end of the year.
02:52Then they will know how much they have earned.
02:56The potential benefits for farmers are clear.
02:58But experts warn that the international carbon trading system is not without its downsides.
03:05India has its own climate goals.
03:07And it will have to understand that the emission reductions that are generated within India,
03:15how are they to be sold outside India, in what conditions, at what price, because any
03:21credit that is sold outside India is at the cost of discounting it from India's own climate
03:28targets.
03:29The interest in the carbon credit scheme is growing.
03:33Switching to more sustainable methods and reducing CO2 emissions gives farmers a chance
03:38of boosting earnings, making environmentally friendly agriculture an attractive financial
03:42prospect too.