Groundwork BioAg issues first verified soil carbon credits under Rootella Carbon programme
Groundwork BioAg has issued its first verified carbon credits under its Rootella Carbon programme, marking a major milestone in the scaling of soil-based carbon dioxide removal (CDR) and establishing what the company describes as a new benchmark for durable agricultural carbon credits.
The issuance covers 19,568 Verified Carbon Units, independently verified by SCS Global under Verra’s Verified Carbon Standard and issued under methodology VM0042. The company says this represents the first “measure and remeasure” soil carbon project to reach issuance globally and the first application of VM0042-based credits in the United States.
Rootella Carbon is designed to generate permanent carbon removal through the use of mycorrhizal fungi to enhance soil carbon storage. Groundwork BioAg claims the approach delivers 100% carbon dioxide removal credits rather than avoidance credits, positioning the programme as a high-integrity pathway for agricultural carbon sequestration.
The company said the credits represent a transition from project development into commercial-scale carbon delivery, with multiple purchase agreements already signed for the issued units. It added that the programme offers one of the most cost-effective forms of durable carbon removal currently available in the voluntary carbon market.
According to Groundwork BioAg, participating farmers receive up to 70% of net proceeds from carbon credit sales, reflecting a grower-centric model intended to incentivise adoption of regenerative practices. A participating farmer in Arkansas said the programme provides measurable verification of soil carbon improvements and confidence that outcomes are being properly quantified.
Groundwork BioAg chief executive Alon Werber said the issuance represents a significant step for the carbon removal industry, highlighting the scalability and verification potential of soil-based sequestration. He said the company expects its programme to expand rapidly as it moves further into large-scale commercial deployment.
The company reported rapid growth in land enrolment, expanding from around 9,000 acres in 2023 to more than 700,000 acres across the United States Midwest and Canadian Prairies. It estimates the broader addressable market at approximately 450 million acres of reduced-tillage farmland across the Americas.
Verra chief executive Mandy Rambharos said the VM0042 methodology was designed to ensure rigorous scientific accounting for agricultural emissions and removals, and that the first issuance demonstrates its effectiveness in real-world deployment at scale.
Groundwork BioAg stated that its approach enables soil carbon sequestration rates of approximately 1.5 to 3.5 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent per acre annually, significantly higher than typical regenerative agriculture benchmarks such as cover cropping or no-till farming. It attributes this to enhanced formation of mineral-associated organic matter, which it says can store carbon for centuries to millennia.
The company said the issuance validates its underlying scientific approach and opens the door to large-scale deployment of mycorrhizal-based carbon removal across global agricultural systems.
