In a milestone for climate-smart agriculture, The Good Rice Alliance (TGRA) has received an ‘Ae’ carbon rating from BeZero Carbon, placing its credits in the top quartile of global voluntary carbon projects for quality and integrity. The recognition underscores TGRA’s role in transforming India’s rice farming from one of the largest agricultural sources of methane into a scalable climate solution.

BeZero’s ‘Ae’ rating signals that TGRA’s credits meet stringent benchmarks for additionality, durability, and quantifiable emissions reduction—qualities increasingly demanded by institutional buyers and climate investors. For rice, which contributes roughly 10 per cent of India’s agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, this represents a rare validation of intervention impact.

TGRA’s program integrates alternate wetting and drying (AWD) irrigation, low-emission rice varieties, and farmer training across thousands of smallholdings. Beyond emissions abatement, the initiative delivers co-benefits: water savings of up to 30 per cent, improved yields, and reduced input costs—strengthening farmer resilience in a warming climate.

“In a market where scrutiny of carbon credit quality is intensifying, the ‘Ae’ rating positions TGRA as a trusted partner for corporates seeking high-integrity offsets,” said the alliance in its statement. The rating also comes at a time when voluntary carbon markets are facing both heightened buyer caution and a push for more transparent impact metrics.

With India targeting net-zero by 2070, agricultural emissions will be a critical front in the climate fight. TGRA’s model—anchored in farmer engagement and backed by rigorous measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV)—offers a replicable blueprint for other high-emitting crop systems.

The ‘Ae’ accolade could also unlock premium pricing for TGRA’s credits, enabling deeper reinvestment into rural climate adaptation. For an agricultural sector often painted as a climate problem, TGRA’s recognition shows it can also be part of the solution.