Mission
Reduce methane emissions from rice farming through innovative, farmer-centered, climate-smart solutions that improve livelihoods while protecting the planet.
CarboDeep in the field
Mwea Irrigation Scheme Station office
CarboDeep Ltd founder Jeremiah Muia (fourth from right) at the Mwea Irrigation Scheme Station office with the National Irrigation Authority Deputy Director for Research Mr Ben Owilla (shaking hands) flanked by the Mwea Irrigation Scheme Manager and NIA Engineers.
Community engagement
Carbon revenue integration into rice growing
CarboDeep Senior Enumerator Mr Urbanus Mwanzia with an elected leader of the Mwea Rice Paddy Irrigation Water User Association during a social economic survey for Carbon Revenue Integration into Rice Growing.
Stakeholder partnership
Mwea rice growers collaboration
CarboDeep representatives engage with leaders of the Mwea Rice Growers Multipurpose Co-operative Society as part of building local partnerships across the Mwea rice value chain.
Climate-smart agriculture in Africa
Reducing methane. Empowering farmers. Transforming agricultural systems in Africa.
Across Sub-Saharan Africa, CarboDeep combines farmer-centred implementation, water-smart rice production, dairy methane mitigation, regenerative agriculture, digital MRV and carbon finance readiness to turn agricultural systems into practical climate solutions.
Mission and vision
CarboDeep focuses on reducing methane emissions from rice farming in Sub-Saharan Africa while improving livelihoods and protecting the planet.
Vision
Create a future where every rice field in Africa becomes a climate solution, helping farmers earn more, use less water, and support climate resilience.
Why methane matters
Methane is a high-impact greenhouse gas, and rice paddies create low-oxygen conditions that allow methane-producing microbes to thrive.
The climate challenge
- Flooded rice fields create anaerobic soil conditions.
- Those conditions increase methane formation.
- Rising rice production can increase emissions.
Why this matters
- Climate change accelerates.
- Water use becomes less efficient.
- Farmers miss income opportunities linked to carbon finance.
The opportunity
Rice systems can become climate-positive when water management, farmer training, and emissions tracking work together.
Flagship project in Kenya
The Mwea Tebere Rice Irrigation Scheme is CarboDeep's starting point for piloting methane reduction at scale with farmers.
Mwea Tebere Rice Irrigation Scheme
- One of Kenya's largest rice-growing regions.
- More than 26,000 acres under rice cultivation.
- Located along the Nyamindi and Thiba river systems.
- Designed as CarboDeep's flagship methane reduction site.
Alternate Wetting and Drying
AWD is presented as the game-changing irrigation method for lowering methane emissions while reducing water use and protecting yields.
How it works
- Fields are allowed to dry periodically.
- Oxygen re-enters the soil.
- Methane-producing microbes are suppressed.
Expected impact
- 30–50% methane reduction.
- 15–30% water savings.
- Lower irrigation costs and stable or improved yields.
Why it works
Methane forms in oxygen-deprived soils, so introducing oxygen interrupts methane formation close to its source.
How CarboDeep works
The model goes beyond awareness by combining field implementation, monitoring, and partnerships.
Farmer engagement
Farmer training and behavior change support adoption of improved irrigation practices.
Technology and data
Smart water monitoring tools and data-driven methane tracking support measurable outcomes.
Scaling systems
Carbon credit integration and partnerships with irrigation schemes and governments help scale the model.
The challenge we address
Across Kenya, smallholder farms face declining soil fertility, reduced yields, income instability, climate shocks, and long-term soil degradation caused partly by prolonged dependence on conventional chemical fertilizer systems.
Soil fertility
Prolonged use of chemical fertilizers can deplete vital soil nutrients and organic matter, leaving land less productive.
Yields
Reduced soil health contributes to lower crop performance and unstable farmer income.
Climate shocks
Drought and erratic rainfall create higher risk when soils lose structure, minerals, and water-holding capacity.
Food security
Soil degradation threatens long-term productivity and the resilience of Kenya’s agricultural systems.
Regenerative Agriculture + Enhanced Rock Weathering
CarboDeep Ltd introduces a nature-based solution that combines farmer training in regenerative practices with finely crushed olivine basalt dust application to rebuild soils and support carbon dioxide removal.
Regenerative agriculture practices
Rebuilding soil systems
CarboDeep trains and supports farmers to adopt practices that restore soil structure, biodiversity, and resilience.
- Reduced reliance on synthetic inputs.
- Organic soil enrichment.
- Crop rotation and diversification.
- Improved water retention techniques.
Olivine basalt dust
Minerals, fertility, and CO₂ removal
Finely crushed olivine basalt replenishes soil minerals, helps neutralize acidity, improves soil structure, and supports water retention.
Through mineral weathering, olivine basalt reacts with CO₂ and stores it in stable forms, turning soil restoration into a climate mitigation pathway.
Impact on farmers and the environment
The programme links soil restoration with practical livelihood gains, future carbon-market access, and wider climate benefits.
Crop yields
Healthier soils support stronger, more productive crops.
Resilience
Better soil structure improves water retention and reduces drought vulnerability.
Income
Higher yields and reduced input costs can improve farmer profitability.
Carbon markets
Future carbon removal credits can create an additional income stream for farmers.
Environmental impact
- Permanently removing atmospheric CO₂.
- Restoring degraded agricultural land.
- Reducing dependence on chemical fertilizers.
- Supporting sustainable land management practices.
Why CarboDeep?
- Science-backed solutions grounded in proven geochemical processes.
- A farmer-centered approach that respects livelihoods and local knowledge.
- Scalable impact with global climate relevance.
- Nature-based innovation that works with ecosystems, not against them.
Where we work
Smallholder farms in Kenya
CarboDeep currently partners with smallholder farmers across key agricultural regions in Kenya, with plans to scale regenerative agriculture and enhanced rock weathering across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Join us
Deep impact. Regenerative future.
CarboDeep invites farmers, partners, investors, and supporters to join a movement that regenerates the earth while feeding the world.
- Partner with us.
- Learn more about our programmes.
- Support climate-smart agriculture.
Kenya Highlands Dairy Methane Initiative
Turning methane from smallholder dairy farms into climate finance
CarboDeep Ltd is developing a first-of-its-kind large-scale dairy methane carbon scheme for Kiambu County and the wider Kenya highlands. The programme is designed to measure, reduce and monetise methane emissions from smallholder dairy cattle through established dairy cooperatives, reaching tens of thousands of farming households.
The problem
Large emissions, scattered across small farms
Kenya has an estimated 4.3 million dairy cattle, most kept in smallholder herds of one to three animals on mixed crop-livestock farms in high-rainfall counties such as Kiambu, Murang'a, Nyeri, Nakuru and Uasin Gishu.
Around 88% of dairy-sector emissions come from enteric methane and a further 11% from manure management. Because these animals are dispersed across tens of thousands of farms, the emissions have historically been difficult to measure and monetise at farm level.
What makes it different
A cooperative-led carbon scheme built for smallholder scale
The initiative combines three elements in one programme: audit-grade digital measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) for farms with one to three cows; aggregation through the dairy cooperative movement; and delivery of mitigation outcomes as internationally transferred mitigation outcomes (ITMOs) under Kenya's carbon-market framework for sale to voluntary carbon market buyers.
The objective is to make verified dairy methane reductions visible, traceable and financially valuable to farmers.
Reduce, measure, reward
The programme bundles proven methane-reducing practices into a cooperative-led package and is designed to reward verified emission reductions on top of milk income.
Improved feeding
Better forage and balanced rations
Quality forage conservation, balanced rations and feed supplements can raise milk yield per animal while lowering methane emissions per litre of milk.
Manure management
Capture methane before release
Household and cooperative-scale biodigesters, together with improved manure handling, can capture methane while returning useful biogas and slurry to farms.
Herd productivity
Healthier, more productive animals
Breeding, animal health and husbandry support aim to shorten unproductive herd ages and reduce the emissions intensity of every litre of milk sold.
Digital MRV
Audit-grade monitoring at smallholder scale
Digital MRV is the operational core of the scheme. The planned system continuously records what happens on participating farms instead of relying only on costly periodic field audits.
- Farm-level data capture through cooperative milk-collection records, digital weighbridges, farmer app entries and IoT sensors on digesters and feeding stations.
- Remote sensing and analytics to cross-check herd size, feeding regimes and digester activity, with machine-learning models converting farm data into Tier 2 emission factors calibrated for Kenyan smallholder cattle.
- Immutable, time-stamped reporting that creates traceable verification records for auditors and carbon buyers.
Cooperative movement
Scaling through institutions farmers already use
Kenya has about 770 dairy cooperatives linking smallholders to the formal milk market. CarboDeep's model works through these existing structures rather than creating parallel systems.
- Enrolment at milk collection centres.
- Payments through cooperative accounts.
- Training through extension officers farmers already know and trust.
Kenya carbon-market framework
Designed for national registration and Article 6 alignment
The scheme is designed around Kenya's carbon-market framework, including the Climate Change (Amendment) Act, 2023, the Climate Change (Carbon Markets) Regulations, 2024 and the country's evolving Article 6 architecture.
CarboDeep plans to register the programme in the National Carbon Registry, secure NEMA approval and work with the Climate Change Directorate on the authorisations and corresponding adjustments required for internationally transferred mitigation outcomes.
Impact
Value for farmers, Kenya and carbon buyers
- Farmers can gain carbon payments alongside milk income, plus biogas, improved feed and healthier herds.
- Kenya gains measurable progress toward its NDC and low-emission dairy strategy while retaining benefits in farming communities.
- Carbon buyers gain verified methane reductions with national-registry provenance and a traceable smallholder story.
Implementation roadmap
The initiative is structured around four indicative phases from cooperative mobilisation to market issuance.
1. Foundation
Cooperative partnerships in Kiambu County, baseline studies and MRV architecture design.
2. Pilot
First cohort of enrolled farms, digital MRV live and validation under an international standard.
3. Scale-up
Expansion across the highlands to tens of thousands of farmers, NEMA approval and registry listing.
4. Market
First ITMO issuance and transfer, sales to voluntary carbon market buyers and benefit-sharing payouts to cooperatives.
Partner with the Kenya Highlands Dairy Methane Initiative
CarboDeep invites dairy cooperatives, county governments, development partners, MRV technology providers and carbon buyers to help turn methane from Kenya's highlands into measurable climate action and income for smallholder farmers.
Partner with CarboDeepDid you know?
- Rice feeds over half of the world's population.
- Rice is one of the largest agricultural methane sources.
- Simple water management changes can transform its climate impact.
Project map notes
- Show Tebere, Thiba, and Wamumu irrigation blocks.
- Highlight farmer clusters and the Thiba and Nyamindi rivers.
- Overlay methane reduction pilot zones for the flagship project.
Join the movement beneath the surface
CarboDeep invites funders, policymakers, researchers, farmer organizations, dairy cooperatives, technology providers, carbon buyers, and regenerative agriculture partners to help scale methane mitigation, soil restoration, carbon removal and climate finance across Africa.