From Regenerative Practice to Verified Market Value
Summary
Since 2021, Orizon Agriculture in South Africa has worked directly with farmers to develop regenerative agricultural practices that enhance value in the form of carbon credit revenues. By supporting farmers to implement more sustainable land use practices, such as cover cropping, reduced or zero tillage, reducing synthetic fertilizer use, and building soil health, Orizon also helps farmers improve profitability and gain access to the carbon credit market.
For the past few years, Orizon has run the CarbonCrop Rewards Programme, a preeminent South African carbon credit project that seeks to promote responsible land use while diminishing the burden of a climate-conscious transition on individual farmers. To meet the evolving demands of the global carbon market and contribute to broader climate goals, Orizon aimed to earn registration under the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS).
Tantangan
When Orizon first began preparing to elevate a selection of South African farms’ sustainability performance, the broader universe of carbon offsets — including validation and verification services — was marred by controversy. Media outlets around the world were zeroing in on particularly volatile instances of the misuse of carbon offsets and credits. But Orizon was committed to supporting farmers gaining access to the carbon market while remaining loyal to reducing emissions and improving soil health through legitimate, verifiable methods.
Orizon set its sights on achieving registration with the global administrator of the Verified Carbon Standard, Verra. Orizon sought to meet the requirements of Verra’s relatively new and complex methodology, VM0042 — Improved Agricultural Land Management. Orizon was ready to demonstrate the value and integrity of their work by meeting VM0042’s rigorous requirements. Partway through the process, however, the verification and validation body (VVB) originally contracted for the assessment made the decision to step back from VM0042 assessments altogether, having ceased taking on any projects under this methodology. As a result, Orizon was left without a VVB shortly before the assessment was due to begin.
