Carbon Economics: How Varaha Links Soil Regeneration to Global Markets for 200,000 Farmers

Monetizing Earth’s Natural Sequestration

Agricultural land across the developing world represents a massive, largely untapped reservoir for climate mitigation. Recognizing this, entrepreneurs Madhur Jain, Ankita Garg, and Vishal Kuchanur founded Varaha in March 2022. The Gurugram-based climate-tech firm bridges the gap between rural smallholders and the global carbon market. By adopting regenerative practices, farmers can now sell carbon credits to major corporations including Microsoft and Google, seeking to offset their environmental footprints.

The initiative currently supports over 200,000 farmers across India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Côte d’Ivoire. More than half of these participants are enrolled in Varaha’s primary initiatives focused on afforestation and regenerative farming. While traditional agriculture often suffers from soil depletion and rising costs, this model offers a secondary revenue stream from year one, incentivizing the restoration of land health alongside crop production.

Bridging the Financial Divide for Smallholders

The concept for Varaha emerged after the founders identified a systemic failure in climate finance. Despite the global push for sustainability, small-scale farmers lacked the financial resources to transition away from conventional, high-input methods. Ankita Garg’s experience at Bayer and Monsanto highlighted the disparity between well-funded western farms and the fragmented, weather-dependent plots in India. Similarly, Madhur Jain’s background in digital advisory services at Precision Development (PxD) and Vishal Kuchanur’s technical expertise provided the framework to scale solutions for millions of small landholdings.

"We designed a system where carbon credit income makes sustainable adoption profitable immediately, while improved soil fertility drives higher yields over a five-year period," states CEO Madhur Jain. The company’s name, inspired by the Hindu deity who rescued the Earth, reflects this core mission of land restoration.

Verification Through High-Tech Monitoring

Implementing large-scale carbon sequestration requires rigorous data to satisfy international buyers. Varaha utilizes a proprietary mobile application named Vann, specifically engineered to function in remote areas with limited connectivity. Local teams and NGO partners map each plot and record current agricultural techniques before conducting soil assessments to recommend specific interventions, such as biochar application, agroforestry, or reduced tillage.

To ensure transparency, Varaha employs a "zero-trust" digital Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (dMRV) system. According to CTO Vishal Kuchanur, the company utilizes continuous satellite imagery and artificial intelligence rather than infrequent manual audits. This technology verifies that prescribed practices are maintained throughout the growing season. By combining physical soil samples with machine learning models, the system accurately calculates carbon removal without the prohibitive expense of testing every individual acre.

Source: The Better India