Boomitra

Farmers want carbon-rich soil to boost crop yields, and companies want to offset their CO2 emissions. Boomitra—which means “friend of the earth” in Sanskrit—was created to bridge the two. Though it isn’t the only company verifying carbon sequestration and selling carbon offsets in the climate-change era, the 2023 Earthshot Prize winner does have a distinctive approach that can boost benefits for small farmers. With a focus on the Global South, Boomitra helps farmers adopt techniques (e.g., minimal tillage and cover crops) that increase yields and trap more carbon in soil. It also uses satellites and AI-backed technology, among other tools, to measure carbon levels and verify credits for sale on the open market—no need for costly, time-consuming soil sampling, which means more credit revenue ends up in farmers’ pockets. As of April, 150,000 farmers have removed 10 million metric tons of CO2 from the atmosphere. “Smallholder farmers in the Global South are disproportionately impacted by climate change,” says founder and CEO Aadith Moorthy, adding that the company plans to distribute “$200 million in carbon finance to tens of thousands of marginalized farmers” by 2025.