SDGs

The Carbon Smart Cropping and Pasture Systems USA II project (USA)

Project type Agricultural management
Location United States
Project ID Verra: 4842

Project overview

The Carbon Smart Cropping and Pasture Systems USA II project covers participating farms across several US states, supporting growers in adopting improved agricultural land-management practices that build soil organic carbon. Credits are issued under Verra's VCS standard, ID 4842.

Practice changes typically include reduced tillage, diversified rotations, cover cropping, diversified crop rotations, improved nutrient management, and adaptive grazing on pasture. The credits reflect both carbon removals (soil organic carbon build-up) and emission reductions (lower fuel use, more efficient fertiliser application). Monitoring uses a combination of soil sampling, satellite remote sensing, and modelled carbon-flux estimates in line with Verra's soil-carbon methodology.

The programme is structured to share credit revenue with participating farmers and to support the long-term transition toward regenerative practice across US cropping and pasture systems.

Community benefits

Farmer revenue share: Credit revenue is shared with participating farmers and ranchers, providing a new income stream that supports the transition to lower-input, higher-resilience systems.
Agronomic support: Farmers receive technical assistance, monitoring, and reporting infrastructure tied to the programme.
Rural economic resilience: The programme supports the wider agricultural economy in the participating states, keeping growers on the land and improving long-term profitability.

Environmental and biodiversity benefits

Soil-carbon build-up: Reduced tillage, cover cropping, and diversified rotations increase soil organic carbon stocks across enrolled fields.
Water and erosion outcomes: Higher soil organic matter lifts water-holding capacity and reduces wind and water erosion on US row-crop and pasture land.
Lower input intensity: Improved nutrient management reduces synthetic-fertiliser use, which lowers nitrous-oxide emissions from soils.

Project information

Location	Multiple US states. California (particularly the Central Valley), with potential expansion into the Pacific Northwest and Sun Belt
Country	United States
Developer	Carbon Friendly US LLC
Type	Improved agricultural land management, nature-based
Methodology	VM0042
Registry listing	Verra VCS 4842
Credit period	20 years (2023 - 2042)