Soil, supply chains, and climate: A new chapter for climate-smart agriculture

As was evident at the London Climate Action Week, a quiet transformation is taking place in the fields of the Global South—one that links soil health, farmer resilience, and carbon removal in ways few technologies can.

Two approaches—Biochar Carbon Removal (BCR) and Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW)—are emerging as credible, field-ready solutions for tackling the intertwined challenges of agricultural emissions, land degradation, and food security. While at differing stages of maturity, both are rapidly gaining traction through trials and deployment in commodity supply chains such as coffee, cocoa, rice, and sugarcane.

A new report, Unlocking the Future of Climate-Smart Agriculture, backed by Stripe Climate and Carbon Gap, outlines the opportunity and the pathway forward.

Soil-centred innovation

• Biochar is created by heating biomass in a low-oxygen environment, producing a carbon-rich, stable material that improves soil structure, boosts water retention, and locks away carbon for centuries.

• Enhanced rock weathering involves applying finely ground silicate rock to cropland, where it reacts with CO₂ in the soil and atmosphere—removing carbon while managing pH and nutrient profiles.

Both technologies represent a new class of high potential soil-centred climate solutions: scalable, durable, and grounded in agronomic value.

Field evidence, not hype

The report features pilot projects already underway:

• In Ghana, biochar is being applied to cocoa farms to restore degraded soils while creating rural employment.

• In Kenya and Cambodia Biochar enhanced fertilisers have boosted agricultural productivity and reduced reliance on synthetic fertiliser inputs for farmers, reducing input costs and emissions. 

• In Brazil the world first verified ERW carbon credits have been delivered through application of rock dust to sugarcane fields. 

• In India, ERW has been show to increase crop yields and farmer income across crop types. 

These aren’t isolated experiments—they’re early proof points that climate-smart agriculture, when appropriately applied, can be deeply practical, commercially aligned, and locally embedded.

A triple-win for the food system

The modelling in the report suggests that biochar and ERW could jointly remove 1.5–2.5 gigatonnes of CO₂ annually by 2050 across the Global South. But perhaps more importantly, they have shown substantial promise through:

• Increased productivity and yields

• Improved soil health and drought resilience

• Reduced fertiliser dependence

• New income opportunities for rural communities

This triple-win—carbon, productivity, and livelihoods—is key to unlocking durable adoption.

Strategic implications for agribusiness

While biochar and enhanced rock weathering (ERW) are rapidly maturing, they are not without uncertainties. For ERW, key challenges remain around field-level measurement and verification, variation in rock type reactivity, and the long-term behaviour of carbon in soil and water systems. For biochar, risks such as inconsistent feedstock quality, short-term nutrient immobilisation, and varying performance across soil types require careful management.

Yet these risks are precisely why early, evidence-led engagement from agribusiness is so important. By integrating BCR and ERW into supply chains proactively—through trials, supplier engagement, and insetting programmes—companies can shape the standards, build internal capabilities, and generate proprietary insights.

The strategic advantages of integration are clear:

• Scope 3 emissions reduction: Both BCR and ERW offer credible, verifiable pathways to tackle hard-to-abate emissions in land-based sourcing systems—critical for meeting regulatory and voluntary targets under frameworks like SBTi FLAG.

• Supply chain resilience and cost stability: These technologies can help reduce fertiliser dependency, improve drought resilience, and restore productivity to degraded land—factors that directly reduce exposure to input volatility and yield shocks.

• Farmer loyalty and shared value: When deployed in partnership with farmers, especially smallholders, these tools can increase income and improve agronomic outcomes—fostering traceability, stronger sourcing relationships and long-term supply security.

• Reputation and climate leadership: Agribusinesses that engage early will help define the emerging standards and signal serious intent on climate action, biodiversity, and equity—distinguishing themselves with buyers, investors, and regulators.

As the report shows, integration is already underway. The next strategic step is to move from isolated pilots to portfolio-wide deployment, aligning operational, climate, and commercial goals in a single, soil-centred strategy.

Looking ahead

The report launched 20th of June at www.futureclimatesmartag.org, and marks the beginning of a broader effort to build credibility, evidence, and strategic alignment around these tools. A follow-on phase will focus on reframing the insights for development institutions and public-sector stakeholders.

This is a pivotal moment. With the right support, BCR and ERW can become cornerstones of a more climate-aligned agricultural future—one that starts in the soil but reaches all the way to global supply chains.

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