• Google will purchase 1 million carbon credits from Mitti Labs through 2030, targeting methane emissions from rice farming in India.
• The programme is expected to cover more than 100,000 hectares and eliminate 3 million tonnes of near-term warming impact on a GWP20 basis.
• More than 70,000 farmers are expected to adopt irrigation practices that can cut rice methane emissions by about 50% and water use by nearly 40%.

Google has agreed to purchase 1 million carbon credits from climate technology company Mitti Labs, expanding corporate demand for projects that tackle methane emissions from rice agriculture.

The agreement will run through 2030 and cover rice farms across Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. At peak delivery, the programme is expected to span more than 100,000 hectares.

Mitti Labs says the partnership could eliminate 3 million tonnes of near-term warming impact measured on a 20-year global warming potential basis. That is equivalent to about 1 million tonnes on a 100-year basis.

The programme will also target substantial water savings across some of India’s stressed agricultural basins.

Cutting methane from rice farming

Traditional rice cultivation often keeps paddies continuously flooded. These conditions allow methane-producing microbes to thrive.

Mitti Labs works with smallholder farmers to introduce Alternate Wetting and Drying, or AWD. The approach periodically drains fields instead of maintaining continuous flooding.

According to the company, AWD can reduce methane emissions from rice fields by around 50%. It can also cut irrigation water use by close to 40% without reducing crop yields.

Methane has a much shorter atmospheric lifetime than carbon dioxide but exerts a stronger warming effect over shorter periods. That makes methane abatement an increasingly important part of strategies aimed at limiting near-term warming.

“Google is committed to finding the most promising solutions that neutralize warming across both the near and long term. Mitti Labs’ approach delivers critical near-term atmospheric impact by cutting methane emissions, while conserving billions of gallons of water and empowering smallholder farmers to deploy advanced water-management practices. We’re excited to partner with them to help accelerate and scale their solution across India,” said Kate Brandt, Chief Sustainability Officer at Google.

Satellite technology supports verification

Mitti Labs combines farmer engagement with satellite monitoring through its GeoAI platform, developed with support from NASA.

The system combines high-resolution radar imagery with field-collected data. It tracks crop health, soil moisture and flooding across individual smallholder plots.

That monitoring infrastructure is central to the project’s carbon accounting. Credits purchased by Google can be issued under either Gold Standard or Isometric, according to Mitti Labs. Projects also undergo independent third-party verification before credits are issued.

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Sylvera has awarded Mitti Labs an “A” rating for its methane-based credits, citing its implementation and measurement protocols.

The company says its projects have already saved more than 500 billion litres of water. Under the Google partnership, cumulative water savings could reach 1.5 trillion litres by 2030.

Corporate demand moves into agricultural methane

The agreement broadens Google’s carbon-market activity beyond conventional carbon removal projects. It also comes as the company works toward a net-zero emissions target for 2030 while rapidly expanding artificial intelligence infrastructure.

For corporate buyers, agricultural methane projects offer a different climate lever. Rather than removing carbon dioxide after it enters the atmosphere, the projects aim to prevent a powerful greenhouse gas from being emitted.

They can also produce adaptation benefits. Farmers adopting AWD may use less water and spend less time irrigating, while maintaining rice yields.

“Reducing methane from rice farming is one of the most powerful levers we have to slow near-term warming. This partnership is a powerful accelerator of our mission to reduce emissions, save water, and strengthen the livelihoods of the 150 million smallholder farmers who grow one of the world’s most important food crops,” said Xavier Laguarta, co-founder at Mitti Labs.

Mitti Labs currently works with more than 100,000 farmers and plans to expand into the Philippines, Indonesia and other Southeast Asian markets.

For investors and corporate sustainability teams, the deal highlights growing interest in methane abatement as a complement to carbon removal. If the model proves scalable, rice agriculture could become a larger part of corporate climate portfolios while addressing water security across some of Asia’s most climate-exposed farming regions.