Mr. Vassily Carantino, chief executive officer, and Mr. James Hastwell, chief technology officer, both of CarbonFarm, visit SEARCA. With them was Mr. Craig Jamieson, director and founder of Straw Innovations Ltd.
Mr. Vassily Carantino, chief executive officer, and Mr. James Hastwell, chief technology officer, both of CarbonFarm, visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 26 October 2023 to discuss their monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) initiatives and explore potential collaboration opportunities. Accompanying them was Mr. Craig Jamieson, director and founder of Straw Innovations Ltd.
CarbonFarm is a French climate-tech startup established in 2022, which harnesses satellite imagery and artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor and certify decarbonization projects. They have worked with academic and research institutions, such as Cornell University, the European Space Agency, AgroParisTech, and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).
Dr. Nur Azura Binti Adam, SEARCA deputy director for programs, welcomes the visitors.During the meeting, Mr. Carantino and Mr. Hastwell shared an overview of their company and its services. "CarbonFarm simplifies rice carbon projects with satellite-based MRV," Mr. Carantino said. Mr. Hastwell explained how satellites can streamline data collection in smallholder farm settings by detecting several farming activity data, including irrigation practices, cropping dates, yield estimates, residue burning occurrence, and direct-seeded rice use versus transplanting. "By using satellite-based MRV and AI models, handling their certification, and selling their credits, we make access to carbon markets easy for farmers and agribusinesses," Mr. Carantino added.
Moreover, the CarbonFarm team discussed some of their projects. One is its partnership with IRRI, Rikolto, and the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on Vietnam's first rice carbon project. It focuses on training and supporting 2,000 rice producers to reduce emission practices. They also support the first project on Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement being implemented by the United Nations Development Programme. This project aims to educate rice farmers in Ghana about farming practices that reduce carbon footprints and release lower methane emissions.
Mr. Carantino (left) and Mr. Hastwell (right) share an overview of their company and its services.Ms. Ma. Christina Corales, program specialist, Emerging Innovation for Growth, informed the visitors of the Center's upcoming capacity-building activity on carbon measurement MRV systems in November 2023. This activity will focus on hands-on exercises to familiarize the participants with the Carbon Wise Rice Information Management System (CWRIMS). CWRIMS is a web-based MRV tool that allows farmers to input farm activity data, which are then used to calculate carbon emissions.
Mr. Carantino highlighted the importance of combining AI-collected and manually collected data in the transparent and accurate monitoring of farm practices. However, he emphasized CarbonFarm's vision to make farmers' lives easier. "We want less work for farmers because from what we've experienced, they would be disinterested if they were asked to do additional work. They believed they have better things to do than report [their activities]," he elaborated.
On the other hand, Ms. Bernice Anne De Torres, program specialist, Research and Thought Leadership, talked about SEARCA's scoping study on the status of adopting nature-based carbon farming practices in producing high-value crops in eight of the 11 Southeast Asian countries. Some significant crops that may be examined include rice, oil palm, rubber, coconut, banana, sugarcane, pineapple, black pepper, maize, cocoa, durian, and jackfruit.
The visitors tour the SEARCA Hub for Agriculture and Rural Innovation for the Next Generation (SHARING)Dr. Nur Azura Binti Adam, SEARCA deputy director for programs, expressed interest in collaborating with CarbonFarm. "I see many common interests, so we are delighted to engage with you and help your initiatives if we can," Mr. Carantino remarked.
The visitors were welcomed by Dr. Nur. Joining them in the meeting were Dr. Gerlie Tatlonghari, program head, Research and Thought Leadership; Ms. De Torres; Ms. Corales; and Partnerships Unit staff. They were also toured in the SEARCA Hub for Agriculture and Rural Innovation for the Next Generation (SHARING).