FoodChain ID and ReSeed Announce New Soil Carbon Methodology

FAIRFIELD, Iowa — FoodChain ID and ReSeed announced the launch of a new ReSeed Soil Carbon Methodology for carbon market initiatives. The Soil Carbon Methodology rewards farmers for maintaining existing soil organic carbon built through sustainable farming practices and for the removal and storage of additional carbon dioxide emissions by soils. The Soil Carbon Methodology is the first program on the market to offer these two benefits while also making voluntary carbon markets accessible for vulnerable and small farmers to scale agriculture climate initiatives worldwide, said the companies.

Following their partnership announcement in November 2023, FoodChain ID and ReSeed have sought to increase transparency in the measurement and verification of regenerative agriculture practices for the agri-food supply chain. With a carbon credit verification standard at the center of the collaboration, ReSeed and FoodChain ID incentivize, measure and verify the progress of carbon sequestration and storage through regenerative agriculture practices.

Dr. Ruud Overbeek, senior vice president for corporate development and strategic relationships at FoodChain ID, said, “Our partnership with ReSeed has recently shown successful verification of conservation at the farm level to combat Amazon deforestation. This demonstrates that practices of sustainable farming can not only be measured, but also incentivized. Carbon credit accessibility is providing tangible benefits to farmers, who require financial support to invest in sustainable farming practices.”

The new ReSeed Soil Carbon Methodology embraces the latest scientific innovations for soil organic carbon stock measurement at scale. According to Vasco van Roosmalen, CEO at ReSeed, “The application of the methodology will be made possible through ReSeed’s Digital Climate Impact Platform, and the results will be validated and verified by FoodChain ID to ensure scientific rigor, consistency and transparency in project quantification methods while also accommodating implementation across diverse geographies and farm operations.”

The methodology is benchmarked against legacy carbon methodologies like VERRA’s VM0042. Soil carbon projects will undergo annual independent verification by FoodChain ID.

The ReSeed Soil Carbon Methodology offers benefits to farmers and addresses greenhouse gas emissions by promoting soil health as a fundamental principle. Unlike many existing methodologies on the market, the ReSeed Soil Carbon methodology does not exclude farmers based on farm size or location, said the companies.

Emily Urban Cordeiro, Ph.D., sustainability technical director at FoodChain ID and soil expert, said, “In partnership with ReSeed, we are leading carbon market innovation by recognizing the importance of farming systems. The partnership recognizes and rewards farmers for their existing carbon assets, whether in soils or trees, as well as their ongoing achievements in sequestration.”