Verra Approves First Rice Carbon Credits Covering 210,000 Tonnes of CO2e

Verra has approved the first carbon credits generated under its Verified Carbon Standard methodology for improved rice production, marking the first issuance under VM0051. The credits come from the Core Carbon Sustainable Rice Productions 01 project in Telangana, India, which has avoided more than 210,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent through changes in water and crop management in flooded rice paddies.

The project uses alternate wetting and drying, or AWD, which allows rice fields to dry periodically instead of remaining continuously flooded. The practice increases oxygen in the soil and reduces the activity of methane-producing microbes, addressing one of the largest sources of agricultural methane emissions.

 

Alternate Wetting and Drying Is the Core Intervention

 

Participating farmers receive field water tubes, training and technical support from project developer Core CarbonX Solutions. The company also shares revenue from carbon credit sales with participating farmers.

The methodology is designed to quantify greenhouse gas reductions from improved rice cultivation practices. It also allows other interventions, including improved rice varieties and the use of methanotrophic bacteria, which can further reduce methane emissions from flooded fields.

 

Read more: Valo to Deliver 1.6 GWh Teebar Battery Project in Queensland

 

VM0051 Creates a New Route for Rice Methane Projects

 

Verra’s VM0051 Improved Management in Rice Production Systems methodology provides the accounting framework used to calculate and verify the emissions reductions behind the newly approved credits. The first issuance therefore establishes an operating precedent for other rice projects seeking Verified Carbon Standard credits.

The development is significant because rice cultivation produces substantial methane emissions, while many of the available mitigation practices depend on changing farm-level water and crop management rather than replacing production entirely.

 

Another 13 Projects Are Already Using the Methodology

 

The Verra Registry currently lists 13 additional projects using VM0051 that are either under development or undergoing validation. These projects are located across India, Brazil, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar and Madagascar.

That pipeline suggests the methodology could expand beyond a single Indian project if additional developers successfully validate and verify emissions reductions. The geographic spread also indicates interest in applying rice methane reduction approaches across several major rice-producing regions.

 

Explore OneStop ESG Marketplace: Carbon offsets & credits

 

Farmer Economics Will Matter Alongside Carbon Integrity

 

The Core CarbonX model combines technical support with carbon finance by sharing part of the credit revenue with farmers. That creates a direct financial incentive for changing irrigation practices, which can be important when projects require large numbers of smallholders to alter established production methods.

At the same time, the credibility of the credits depends on whether methane reductions can be measured consistently and verified across dispersed farms. VKU Certification Private Limited served as the validation and verification body for the first project.

 

The First Issuance Sets a Benchmark for Wider Adoption

 

The approval of more than 210,000 tCO2e of credits gives VM0051 its first completed example and provides a reference point for the projects now following it through development and validation.

The next test will be whether those projects can reproduce verified emissions reductions at scale while maintaining reliable monitoring and farmer participation. If they do, rice could become a more established segment within agricultural carbon markets, particularly as buyers place greater emphasis on methane reduction and measurable field-level outcomes.

 

Source: Verra