Mati Carbon, an Indian-led local weather initiative has secured the $50 million grand prize within the XPRIZE Carbon Removing competitors, outshining over 1,300 groups from 112 international locations. Their mannequin appears easy, however is kind of complicated. Mati Carbon makes use of an Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW) mannequin, which captures carbon dioxide (CO2) whereas boosting crop yields for smallholder farmers. This presents a uncommon synergy of environmental and social affect.
Mati operates in India, Tanzania, and Zambia, and has partnered with over 16,000 farmers since 2022. They goal to succeed in 30,000 by year-end, with a daring imaginative and prescient to affect 100 million by 2045. As India grapples with climate-induced agricultural stress and a nascent carbon market, scaling this resolution faces formidable hurdles.
In an unique interview with The Indian Specific, Shantanu Agarwal, Mati Carbon’s founder and CEO, and Jake Jordan, chief science officer, outlined their mission. “This XPRIZE win validates our science and dedication to smallholder farmers who bear the brunt of local weather change,” Agarwal stated. “However scaling in India, with its fragmented landholdings and uneven infrastructure, is a large problem.”
How enhanced rock weathering works
Mati’s ERW course of includes spreading pulverised basalt—a volcanic rock—on farmlands, accelerating a pure weathering course of that captures atmospheric CO2 and shops it as bicarbonate in groundwater and oceans for over 10,000 years. “The method types a weak acid from rainwater and CO2, breaking down the rock sooner than pure weathering,” Jordan defined. “It’s like dissolving powdered sugar versus a sugar dice.”
The basalt additionally releases vitamins, enhances soil fertility and leads to more healthy crops and higher yield. The rigorous Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) framework, developed with IIT Kanpur, Yale College, and the College of Sheffield, ensures exact carbon quantification, incomes belief from patrons like Shopify, Stripe, and H&M.
Empowering India’s smallholder farmers
Smallholder farmers, cultivating 47 per cent of India’s farmland, are uniquely weak to local weather change. The 2024 Monsoon Report by the India Meteorological Division famous eight per cent above-average rainfall, but flooding and crop losses disproportionately affected smallholders. Mati’s mannequin addresses this by bettering soil well being and incomes.
Agarwal shared the story of a Chhattisgarh farmer with two acres whose rice yield surged from 2,500 to three,500 kilos—a 70 per cent improve—after basalt utility. “He paid off money owed as a result of it’s free. We ship and unfold the basalt; he farms as typical,” Agarwal stated.
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Mati targets climate-vulnerable areas like northern Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Jharkhand, usually hours from airports. “We give attention to small farmers in backward areas,” Agarwal defined. “We analyse crop varieties, soil compatibility, and basalt composition to make sure viability.” The Deccan Traps’ huge basalt provide—able to eradicating all anthropogenic CO2 with only one per cent of its reserves—makes India a super hub. Mati piggybacks on present rock-crushing for development, minimizing environmental affect.
Farmers additionally report a 65 per cent discount in pesticide use, as nutrient-rich soils yield more healthy, disease-resistant crops. “It’s like people consuming nutritional vitamins for higher immunity,” Agarwal stated. “Wholesome vegetation don’t get sick.” This natural, nature-driven strategy aligns with India’s push for sustainable agriculture beneath the Nationwide Mission for Sustainable Agriculture.
Scaling challenges: Belief, logistics, and markets
Mati’s ambition to succeed in 100 million farmers by 2045 is daunting. “Farmers depending on a couple of acres are risk-averse,” Agarwal famous. “Explaining that we take away invisible CO2 for distant patrons sounds doubtful.” Mati overcomes this by demonstration: trials within the first season, 10-20 per cent adoption within the second, and overwhelming demand by the third. “They see yield will increase and decrease pesticide wants with their very own eyes,” he stated.
Logistics in distant areas pose one other hurdle. Transporting basalt to villages and coaching farmers throughout India’s various agro-climatic zones is expensive. Mati’s proprietary platform, matiC, makes use of AI to streamline operations, from farmer engagement to carbon verification, however scaling to tens of millions requires extra. “Our tech stack permits farmer-entrepreneur companions to ship our mannequin regionally,” Agarwal stated, emphasizing a franchise-like strategy to realize the “unreasonable” 100-million-farmer purpose.
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The carbon market, the place Mati sells credit to fund its free basalt purposes, is one other problem. At present priced at $300-$400 per ton, credit are purchased by net-zero-focused companies like Shopify, Stripe, and H&M. “These patrons help our scaling to hit $100 per ton in 5 to seven years,” Agarwal stated. Nevertheless, India’s carbon market is nascent, with costs risky ($10-$30/ton globally in 2024, per the World Financial institution). Convincing Indian unicorns to purchase removing credit as a part of company social duty (CSR) requires schooling. “Indian corporations with net-zero targets ought to embody removing of their portfolios to mitigate previous emissions,” Agarwal urged.
The position of Authorities
Mati has garnered native help from district magistrates, agriculture officers, and Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs). “They love our know-how and collaborate carefully,” Agarwal stated. Research with authorities universities, like IIT Kanpur, present years of information to show ERW’s efficacy. But, national-level adoption might unlock higher affect. “Subsidies for basalt transport or carbon credit score incentives would speed up scaling,” Agarwal instructed, aligning with India’s net-zero-by-2070 purpose.
Jordan emphasised ERW’s match for India’s agriculture-heavy economic system. “Governments serve farmers, a key constituency. Our yield will increase and local weather advantages are a robust match for nationwide priorities,” he stated. Nevertheless, coverage inertia and the necessity for in depth proof factors sluggish progress. “We’re constructing scientific momentum with Indian analysis to persuade policymakers,” Agarwal stated.
A broader local weather context
Mati’s give attention to removing doesn’t negate the necessity for emissions discount. “We want each,” Jordan burdened. “Discount stops new CO2; removing balances unavoidable emissions, like agriculture’s residual CO2.” India, the world’s third-largest emitter, depends closely on coal, complicating its net-zero path. Mati’s ERW, with its permanence, presents a sturdy instrument, nevertheless it’s not a panacea.
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The World South’s degraded soils make it supreme for ERW, not like chemically optimized farms within the US. “Skeptics within the West query small farms’ scalability, however their yield positive factors drive adoption,” Jordan stated. This financial incentive positions India as a frontrunner in inclusive local weather options.
Wanting forward
Mati’s XPRIZE win and $50 million prize present a springboard to scale its smallholder-focused mannequin, sustained by carbon credit score gross sales. Its partnerships with IIT Kanpur, Yale, and the College of Sheffield guarantee scientific rigor, whereas native collaborations amplify attain. But, success hinges on overcoming logistical, market, and coverage obstacles. As India navigates local weather change and meals safety for 1.4 billion folks, Mati’s mannequin—rooted in nature and farmer empowerment—presents a blueprint. Whether or not it may well scale to 100 million farmers stays a check of innovation, collaboration, and political will.
“For us, the farmer is the one stakeholder,” Agarwal concluded. “If we assist them, society helps us again.”