What Can Budget 2026 Do to Unlock Agriculture Carbon Credits for Farmers? | The Federal

Описание: India’s agriculture sector is on the brink of a new income model — carbon credits linked to soil health and regenerative farming. In this video, Vivian Fernandes speaks with Usha Barwale Zehr, Executive Director, and Umang Agarwal, COO of Grow Indigo, about India’s first high-integrity soil carbon credit issuance under the globally recognised VM42 methodology.

Grow Indigo has secured approval for issuing over 50,000 soil carbon credits generated between 2019 and 2022 in Punjab and Haryana after a rigorous 35-month verification process involving satellite monitoring, crop simulation models, and third-party audits under the Vera registry. These credits could fetch between USD 40 and USD 60 per unit, with 75 per cent of the value flowing directly to farmers.

The discussion explains how practices such as direct seeding of rice, low-tillage wheat cultivation, and crop residue retention help reduce emissions, improve soil health, and create measurable climate outcomes. The conversation also explores how technology enables large-scale monitoring, why smallholder farmers can now participate in carbon markets, and what the Union Budget 2026 can do to accelerate adoption — especially through support for farm machinery and infrastructure.

The episode also addresses concerns around water use, stubble management, pest control, and whether global political shifts — such as the US stepping back from climate action — will affect voluntary carbon markets. With over 2 lakh farmers and 2 million acres already enrolled, Grow Indigo argues that India can lead global climate action while strengthening farm incomes.

#AgricultureCarbonCredits #SoilCarbon #RegenerativeAgriculture #IndianFarming #CarbonMarkets #ClimateActionIndia #SoilHealth #FarmIncome #UnionBudget #GrowIndigo #SustainableFarming #SmallholderFarmers #ClimateFinance #CarbonCreditIndia

00:00 – Opening context
01:02 – What Grow Indigo does
02:30 – Why issuance took so long
04:18 – What is the Adi project
05:13 – Value of carbon credits
06:30 – Regenerative practices
08:47 – Why it is a milestone
10:07 – Verification at scale
11:27 – Number of farmers
12:14 – Budget expectations
13:46 – Natural farming debate
14:44 – Straw and stubble issue
16:49 – Direct-seeded rice
18:21 – Global carbon markets
19:50 – India’s climate leadership

▶For the latest news and analysis - https://thefederal.com/ 
▶RSS Feed - https://thefederal.com/google_feeds.xml
▶For more explainers, and interesting videos - https://thefederal.com/category/videos
▶To watch The Federal's shows listed together for your easy access, click here:    • The Federal Programmes  

Follow The Federal News here -
▶Website: https://thefederal.com/
▶Facebook:   / thefederal.india  
▶X: https://x.com/TheFederal_News
▶Instagram:   / thefederal_india  
▶LinkedIn:   / thefederal  
▶Whatsapp channel: https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029...
▶Threads: TheFederal India (@thefederal_india)
▶Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3fy3utP...


Download The Federal App here -
▶Android - http://bit.ly/3DJSkiu
▶iPhone - http://bit.ly/TheFederalios