IIT Roorkee leads Carbon Credit initiative across western Uttar Pradesh

Roorkee: In a significant step towards promoting climate-resilient agriculture, the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IIT Roorkee) has taken initiative to implement a large-scale sustainable agriculture and carbon credit programme in western Uttar Pradesh.

The initiative, approved by the Department of Agriculture, Government of Uttar Pradesh, is proposed to cover the farmland across Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, and Shamli districts in the Saharanpur division.

The programme will focus on the adoption of sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices, scientific soil health improvement, and the establishment of systems for measurement and verification of carbon sequestration.

It also aims to enable farmers to participate in emerging carbon markets and access carbon credit opportunities, subject to applicable standards and market conditions.

Leading the initiative, Prof. A. S. Maurya, Nodal Officer, IIT Roorkee, said, “This initiative seeks to integrate scientific agricultural practices with emerging carbon market mechanisms. It has the potential to support improved farm productivity while creating additional avenues for income generation for farmers.”

The project will deploy digital monitoring systems, field-level data collection, and verification frameworks aligned with established carbon accounting standards to ensure transparency and credibility in carbon credit generation.

Principal Secretary, Department of Agriculture, Government of Uttar Pradesh Ravindra quoted, “The Government of Uttar Pradesh fully supports this impactful initiative by IIT Roorkee.

By promoting sustainable farming practices and enabling access to carbon markets, it has strong potential to improve soil health and create additional income opportunities for farmers. I congratulate the IIT Roorkee team for this forward-looking and transformative effort.”

Farmers will be supported through capacity-building initiatives focused on climate-resilient practices such as reduced tillage, residue management, optimized fertilizer use, and water-efficient techniques, aimed at improving long-term sustainability and resource efficiency.

Prof. K. K. Pant, Director, IIT Roorkee, said, “This initiative reflects IIT Roorkee’s commitment to advancing sustainable and technology-driven solutions for agriculture. By integrating scientific research with emerging carbon frameworks, it seeks to support resilient farming practices while creating new value streams for farmers. The initiative is aligned with national priorities on sustainable agriculture and climate mitigation, and has the potential to evolve as a scalable model based on implementation outcomes.”

The initiative aligns with broader national priorities on sustainable agriculture, climate mitigation, and rural development, and has the potential to serve as a scalable model for similar interventions in other regions.

It is slated to commence on-ground implementation from the upcoming cropping season, enabling timely adoption of sustainable farming practices at scale from the outset.