Agriculture

Grow your Earnings with Carbon Credits

By enrolling your fields into our Global Carbon Farming Program, establishing baselines and adopting sustainable agricultural practices, like cover crops, you can lead the way in reducing emissions, improving carbon efficiency and earning carbon credits.

How to get started with carbon farming

STEP 1

Choose your field and set the baseline

In general, any field is acceptable. What we need from you is the precise location of the field, including a shape file from your farm management system and information on the crops and inputs you have made in that field for the last 3 years. In addition, we will organize for precise soil sampling to be undertaken. This is to establish a baseline, giving us a snapshot of existing carbon levels in your soil and average of the emissions associated with crop production for the same timeframe.

Aerial view of diverse agricultural fields in various colors forming a patchwork landscape in the countryside.

STEP 2

Select and implement your new sustainable agricultural practices

We offer agronomic advice and solutions, personalized to each farmer’s needs. We work closely with each farmer to identify the most appropriate new sustainable practices, because every field and every farming business operation is different. Once new practices are chosen, we support implementation, collect the data, and track everything using xarvio^®, our digital farming tool, ensuring transparency, traceability, and measurable progress every step of the way.

Two people inspecting corn plants in a field, discussing data and holding a clipboard and corn cobs.

STEP 3

Carbon credits are generated

Our Global Carbon Farming Program implements Verra’s agricultural protocol (VM0042) and works with SustainCERT, an independent validation and verification body for climate impact. The data we have collected from your field for the first intervention year is compared by models to the baseline data. This data is then shared with the independent verifiers who will then determine the amount of CO2 that has been saved and /or the amount of the additional carbon that has been added to your soil. Once this process is complete, the verification body will issue the independently verified carbon farming savings.

Smiling farmer standing by a tractor in a harvested field, giving a thumbs-up gesture.

How to get rewarded by carbon credits

Farmers efforts can be quantified as carbon credits. By enrolling additional fields and adopting new sustainable agricultural practices, they can increase the amount of soil carbon, improve soil health and enhance their earnings.

Examples below are provided solely for illustrative purposes.

Disclaimer: This is a hypothetical calculation. The number of credits may vary based on several factors, including climate and soil conditions, the type of low-carbon fertilizer applied, the fuel type used, the quantity of stabilized nitrogen with nitrification inhibitors, and other site-specific variables. Cover crops are assumed to be implemented every third year. Average carbon sequestration rates are projected over a 20-year cultivation period, incorporating practices such as reduced or no tillage, mulching of crop residues, and periodic use of cover crops.

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Farmer

Someone who has gone through the process.

Get in touch with BASF today to discover the full potential of your farm.

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The benefits of our Global Carbon Farming Program

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Delivering shared value

Through our program, we provide practical solutions, share expertise, and reduce complexity, making sustainability actionable.

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Strengthening partnerships

We are bringing together farmers, value chain partners, and internationally recognized certifiers to lower carbon emissions in agricultural value chains and drive a long-term sustainable future for agriculture and society.

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Providing new revenue streams

Through our program, farmers can potentially increase their profitability from implementing sustainable agricultural practices that have been measured, and validated, by independent bodies.

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Building resilience

Sustainable agricultural practices improve soil health, boost biodiversity, and strengthen agricultural resilience, while increasing water holding capacity of soils.

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What does BASF offer?

At BASF, we go beyond just providing products. We provide a wide range of solutions to create the best offering and enable the transition to more sustainable agriculture. This comprises:

Digital solutions, Seeds & Traits, Digital ecosystem and Enhanced soil health shown as key components in agriculture.

But even the best tools need the right guidance. That’s why we pair our offer with agronomic advice, personalized to each farmer’s unique needs. Because carbon farming isn’t about doing more of the same, it’s about doing something different.

Discover more about carbon farming

How does our Carbon Farming Program deliver shared value?

What is carbon farming and how does it work?

How to grow your earnings with carbon credits?

Meet our experts

To learn more about the Global Carbon Farming Program, get in touch with us.

Andy Beadle

Global Carbon Farming Lead

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Jessica Monserrate

Head of Sustainability North America

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Gabor Mehn

New Business Development, Sustainability & Digital Solutions, EMEA

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Take a look at further examples of carbon farming

Glossary

Carbon credits

refer to a tradable certificate that represents the reduction, avoidance, or removal of one metric tonne of carbon dioxide (CO₂) or its equivalent (CO₂e) from the atmosphere. Carbon credits are generated through projects that that reduce, avoid, or remove greenhouse gas emissions and are verified by government or independent certification organizations bodies. Entities can purchase these credits to compensate for their own emissions, enabling a market-based approach to climate action.

Cover crops

refer to any crop grown to cover the soil and may be incorporated into the soil later for enrichment.

Reduced or no-till

refers to a farming practice in which the soil is left undisturbed by tillage and the residue is left on the soil surface.

Nitrification inhibitor (NI)

refers to an additive in fertilizer that inhibits nitrification. Its purpose is to slow down the transformation of ammonia to nitrate.

Biofuels

refer to renewable fuels derived from biomass—such as plants, algae, or animal waste—that can be replenished over time, offering a cleaner alternative to fossil fuels. The two primary types are ethanol, typically produced from corn or sugarcane and blended with gasoline, and biodiesel, made from vegetable oils, animal fats, or recycled cooking grease for use in diesel engines. Renewable diesel is similar to biodiesel but is processed differently, making it chemically identical to petroleum diesel and usable in existing engines without blending. Biofuels help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, decrease reliance on fossil fuels, and support a more sustainable energy system while benefiting rural economies. Sustainable agriculture enhances the environmental benefits of biofuels by using marginal land, reducing inputs like water and fertilizer, turning crop residues into fuel, and supporting regenerative practices that improve soil health.