A first for sustainable paddy cultivation
Hyderabad, August 2025 — Sow & Reap Agro Pvt Ltd has become the first Indian company to earn Gold Standard carbon credits in paddy cultivation. The recognition marks an important step forward for lower-emission farming in India and demonstrates that practical field action can produce credible, measurable climate outcomes.
The VARRI project: innovation meets impact
Under our VARRI initiative, implemented in collaboration with Kosher Climate, farmers use Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) instead of keeping paddy fields continuously flooded. Controlled irrigation cycles reduce water demand and methane emissions while supporting stronger crop management.
The approach connects established agronomy with careful field monitoring. Farmers receive practical guidance, water levels are tracked through the growing cycle and the resulting climate benefits are documented for verification.
Scale and scope of impact
Over the past three years, the project has reached more than 35,000 farmers across over 1 lakh acres in Telangana. Participating districts include Jagtial, Karimnagar, Mahbubnagar, Nagarkurnool, Narayanpet, Peddapalli, Rajanna Sircilla and Wanaparthy.
The programme is designed around outcomes that matter on the ground: more efficient water use, reduced emissions, improved farm resilience and a new opportunity for farmers to participate in high-integrity carbon markets.
Transparent tracking with DMRV
Central to the project is Sow & Reap’s Digital Measurement, Reporting and Verification (DMRV) system. It creates end-to-end traceability from field-level data capture through monitoring, verification and carbon-credit issuance.
This transparent record helps reinforce confidence in both environmental results and farmer outcomes. It also gives project teams timely information to improve implementation across a large and distributed farming network.
Voices from the field
Technology and transparent processes are helping create an additional income stream for farmers while advancing India’s climate-action goals. With similar projects in the pipeline, Sow & Reap aims to generate more than one million carbon credits over the next two years.
“This milestone stands as a testament to the collective efforts of our farmers, partners and the Agriculture Department, Government of Telangana, whose support was instrumental in raising farmer awareness about the AWD methodology.”
— Suraj Teja, Founder & CEO, Sow & Reap
Why this matters
- For farmers: more resilient livelihoods through efficient irrigation, stronger crop management and new revenue opportunities.
- For communities and the environment: meaningful water savings, lower greenhouse-gas emissions and stronger rural economies.
- For the industry: a replicable model showing how climate technology and agriculture can deliver credible net-zero outcomes.
Looking forward
Gold Standard recognition is only the beginning. Through DMRV, climate-smart agriculture and deep field partnerships, Sow & Reap is building a path toward scalable and sustainable paddy cultivation—empowering communities, regenerating nature and helping shape a lower-carbon future.