---
title: "Bengaluru VC shifts from funding to enabling 27,000 farmers in land restoration"
url: https://projectchintan.com/article/bengaluru-vc-bolsters-farm-lands-restoration-30fnb
publisher: Project Chintan
author: Project Chintan Newsroom
section: Science & Technology
published: 2026-09-07T12:01:07.634Z
modified: 2026-09-07T13:30:05.797Z
language: en-IN
---

# Bengaluru VC shifts from funding to enabling 27,000 farmers in land restoration

A Bengaluru venture capitalist leaves traditional investing to back farmers in restoring their land through biochar and agroforestry. Equilibrium works with thousands of smallholders, linking on-field practices to broader carbon removal aims in India.

## Key takeaways

- A Bengaluru VC founder leaves traditional investing to back a model that increases farmer earnings through land restoration.
- Equilibrium collaborates with thousands of farmers and manages restoration across tens of thousands of hectares, focusing on biochar and agroforestry.
- The approach aims to connect on-the-ground farming practices with measurable carbon removal within India's evolving climate policy framework.

## What Happened

The article describes a Bengaluru-based venture capital firm founder who left the investing world to support farmers in earning from land restoration. The initiative centers on the use of biochar produced from cotton residue, converted via a Kon-Tiki system and returned to fields, in a region around Dahegaon near Nagpur, Maharashtra. This work is carried out with the Equilibrium carbon-removal platform, which has begun collaborations with farmers to implement restoration techniques across agroforestry, mangrove restoration, climate-smart agriculture and biochar.

Farmers report benefits from biochar, including improved crop yields, soil fertility and moisture retention. Examples cited include Surekha Namdev and Alka Chindan Vishram, who have engaged with the process and advocate its wider adoption. The initiative emphasizes the importance of ground-level participation, accurate measurement, durable carbon removal and economic viability for landowners and laborers involved.

The founder, Siddhanth Jayaram, describes a shift from evaluating ventures as an investor to building a climate-focused enterprise after COVID-19 underscored long-term risk to livelihoods and the environment. This transition reflects a move from a five-year investment horizon to hands-on development informed by farmer collaboration.

## Why It Matters

Industry observers highlight that credible, measurable carbon removal at scale hinges on local participation and practical economics for landholders. The program seeks to align farmer incentives with carbon-removal goals, potentially expanding land restoration across multiple states and increasing the size of the engaged farming base and restored land area over time.

## Background

The piece situates Equilibrium within the broader context of rising demand for credible carbon-removal projects as global markets grow and India begins operating its own carbon mechanisms. It notes that more than 4,000 companies have received approval for science-based climate targets and references India’s target-setting for industrial emissions across several sectors. The narrative links these macro trends to the on-the-ground work in Dahegaon and nearby rural areas, where biochar is presented as a pathway to both soil improvement and carbon removal.

## Key Facts

- Dahegaon is located near Nagpur in Maharashtra, India, where cotton residue is used to produce biochar via a Kon-Tiki system for soil application.
- Biochar is returned to farms after processing, replacing prior practice of open burning of crop residue.
- Equilibrium has more than 27,000 smallholder farmers and 30,000 hectares under restoration across agroforestry, mangrove restoration, climate-smart agriculture and biochar.
- The Equilibrium pipeline includes eight projects across nine states, potentially involving 120,000 hectares and 150,000 farmers.
- Global carbon market projection cited: up to $50 billion by 2030; more than 4,000 companies approved for science-based climate targets; India implementing its own carbon market with targets for 490 industrial units across seven sectors.
- The founder previously worked as a venture capitalist and shifted to building a climate-focused company after COVID-19 influenced his perspective on time horizons and impact.

## What Happens Next

The article implies continued farmer engagement and expansion of restoration projects, with ongoing measurements and assessment of carbon removal outcomes, alongside scaling efforts across additional states and farming communities. It suggests that the viability of the approach depends on farmer participation, land suitability, robust measurement, durable carbon sequestration and economically sustainable arrangements for landowners.

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Canonical: https://projectchintan.com/article/bengaluru-vc-bolsters-farm-lands-restoration-30fnb
Reported from: Multiple Sources