CarbonFarm and Regrow Ag integrate satellite monitoring and Tier 3 modelling to advance credible MRV in rice
Paris, 19 January 2025 - The global race to decarbonise agriculture is accelerating, placing scalable, high-integrity carbon measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) in rice cultivation at the forefront of the conversation. As the world’s most important staple crop and a major source of greenhouse gases (12% of global methane emissions), rice represents one of the largest near-term climate mitigation opportunities in food systems. Yet for project developers, agribusinesses, and NGOs looking to impact rice cultivation, the path to credible, large-scale emissions reduction has been blocked by outdated, labour-intensive measurement systems.
Today, CarbonFarm and Regrow Ag have partnered to address this constraint by integrating satellite-based monitoring with an advanced Tier 3 model. Tier 3 models use field level activity data plus local soil and weather conditions to generate the most accurate GHG emissions estimates.
Combining CarbonFarm’s purpose-built remote sensing technology for rice with Regrow’s leading model for rice emissions, Denitrification-Decomposition (DNDC), solves the most significant barrier for rice MRV programs: reliable data collection at scale.
The Industry Challenge: Why Traditional MRVs Fall Short
For years, monitoring, reporting, and verification in rice carbon projects has relied on manual data collection and farmer self-reporting. These methods are time-consuming and prone to human error, placing an enormous burden on farmers, who must keep detailed records and participate in frequent field visits. For project developers, this bottleneck limits the scale, reliability, and ultimately the integrity of carbon credits generated.
This shortfall in data collection is precisely the issue that CarbonFarm is solving for the rice industry. By harnessing remote sensing and machine learning, data collection is more transparent, scalable, and trustworthy, paving the way for a new standard in carbon project integrity.
Tier 3 Models: Best Practice But Hard to Access
Tier 3 models, such as Regrow's DNDC model, represent the highest standard for greenhouse gas quantification in agriculture. DNDC is a scientifically rigorous tool that simulates soil biogeochemical processes to estimate emissions of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane from a wide range of agricultural practices, including different crop types, soil conditions, and management techniques. Trusted by leading carbon standards like the Verra VM0051 Rice protocol, Tier 3 models provide greater accuracy and transparency than simpler, less detailed approaches.
DNDC is uniquely positioned for rice carbon markets as the only Tier 3 model calibrated and validated across Southeast Asia, and its underlying mechanics track the sudden bursts of emissions that can occur with wetland rice in particular.
However, the power of Tier 3 models has historically come with a catch: they require large amounts of detailed, field-level data-data that has been difficult to collect at scale using traditional, ground-based methods. As a result, most rice projects have been forced to settle for less scientifically rigorous solutions.
The Breakthrough: Satellite-Enabled Tier 3 MRV
Satellite imagery can address this issue. The process of collecting data for rice cultivation via remote sensing, as pioneered by CarbonFarm, is already transforming how rice projects are monitored and verified. Remote sensing enables continuous, reliable, and non-intrusive monitoring of water management and other key practices without requiring direct farmer input or constant field visits.
Through the CarbonFarm x Regrow Ag partnership, this remote sensing capability is directly connected to the DNDC Tier 3 model. Rice project developers can now deploy high-integrity, model-based MRV at project and landscape scale, making Tier 3 both accessible and practical for real-world projects.
Partnership in Action: What This Means for Project Developers
By connecting satellite-derived observations with DNDC modelling in a single workflow, the collaboration enables project developers to apply rigorous, model-based MRV in smallholder contexts where data availability and operational complexity have historically been limiting factors. For project developers, the benefits are immediate and compelling:
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Higher outcome integrity: Trusted, data-driven results that meet the most rigorous carbon standards.
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New project scalability: Move beyond pilot projects to landscape-level impact, without the bottlenecks of manual data collection.
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Reduced reporting burden: Less reliance on farmer self-reporting and fewer field visits mean faster, more efficient project cycles.
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This partnership is live for projects in Vietnam & Thailand, and ready to be deployed in Cambodia and Philippines. This service is also expanding across Southeast Asia and India in 2026
CarbonFarm and Regrow Ag’s collaboration responds to a clear signal from the market: credible decarbonisation in rice requires MRV systems designed for scale, transparency, and alignment with rigorous standards. As rice projects expand and intersect more closely with corporate Scope 3 strategies and national climate objectives, the importance of such infrastructure will only increase.
To learn more about how this partnership can support your rice decarbonisation goals-or to discuss how to bring high-integrity MRV to your projects, contact our team at info@carbonfarm.tech.