Partnership Overview
Mitti Labs announced a five‑year carbon‑credit agreement with Google to scale climate‑smart rice cultivation across 100,000 hectares of smallholder farms in India. Under the deal, Mitti Labs will deliver one million high‑integrity methane‑reduction credits to Google by 2030.
Farmer Transition and Emission Reductions
The programme targets more than 70,000 smallholder rice farmers, shifting them from continuously flooded paddies to alternate‑wet irrigation practices. This shift is projected to cut methane emissions from rice fields by up to 50% and reduce irrigation water volumes by close to 40% while preserving rice yields.
Near‑Term Climate Impact and Water Savings
The partnership aims to eliminate 3 million tons of near‑term warming measured on a GWP20 basis, which is equivalent to 1 million tons of CO₂‑equivalent on a GWP100 basis. In addition, the initiative will conserve billions of gallons of water—an amount comparable to Bengaluru’s annual water supply for three years.
Technology Platform
Mitti Labs’ GeoAI platform, developed with NASA support, fuses high‑resolution satellite radar data with field‑collected ground truth to generate plot‑level insights on crop health, soil moisture, and flooding. The platform enables rapid, low‑cost identification of fields suitable for alternate‑wet irrigation and will eventually map millions of rice fields worldwide into digital‑twin datasets.
Credit Quality and Ratings
The methane‑based credits generated under the programme have received an “A” rating from the independent verification agency Sylvera, reflecting rigorous implementation and measurement protocols.
Corporate Background and Funding
Since its launch in 2023, Mitti Labs has grown to 150 employees and secured $12.5 million in funding from investors such as Lightspeed India, Aramco Ventures, Voyager Ventures, Godrej Industries Group, Cisco Foundation, Francis Family Fund, and Volta Circle. The company’s customers include global technology, food, and agriculture firms like Cool Effect, Ebro Foods, and Syngenta. To date, Mitti Labs’ programmes have saved 500 billion liters of water, equivalent to Bengaluru’s annual water supply.
Statements from Leadership
Kate Brandt, Chief Sustainability Officer at Google, said the partnership accelerates Google’s mission to neutralise both near‑term and long‑term warming by cutting methane emissions, conserving water, and empowering smallholder farmers. Xavier Laguarta, co‑founder of Mitti Labs, highlighted the collaboration as a powerful accelerator for reducing emissions, saving water, and strengthening the livelihoods of the 150 million smallholder farmers who grow rice worldwide.