Bringing Carbon Opportunities to Farmers
When CarbonCrop set out to make carbon markets accessible for New Zealand farmers, they knew they were tackling more than just a technical challenge. The idea was ambitious: give farmers the tools to take control of their forest carbon opportunities without relying entirely on consultants or external experts. But how do you test whether the tools actually meet the needs of those on the ground?
Enter Agnition’s Pilot Farm Network. As Ravensdown's innovation arm, Agnition connects farmers with emerging technologies that aim to solve real-world challenges. With its focus on smarter farming for a better New Zealand, the Pilot Farm Network became the perfect testing ground for CarbonCrop’s platform.
What Is Agnition?
Agnition is where big agricultural ideas meet practical solutions. Operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ravensdown, Agnition focuses on identifying, testing, and scaling technologies that improve sustainability, productivity, and resilience on farms.
One of their flagship initiatives, the Pilot Farm Network, pairs innovative companies with farmers keen to explore new ideas. The network creates a space where new tools can be trialled in real-world settings, gathering feedback that helps innovators refine their offerings and farmers adopt proven solutions.
In the case of CarbonCrop, the Pilot Farm Network was the bridge between a promising platform and the people who needed it most: landholders ready to take advantage of the growing opportunities in carbon forestry.
Making Carbon Simple
Carbon forestry offers farmers a powerful way to diversify income, enhance sustainability, and contribute to climate change mitigation. However, accessing these opportunities is anything but simple.
Navigating the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) requires a detailed understanding of eligibility criteria, mapping requirements, and compliance processes. For many farmers, the process feels like a maze—full of jargon, complicated workflows, and uncertainties.
“We kept hearing the same thing from farmers: ‘I’m not stupid; I just need the right tools and some hints.’” - Nick Butcher, CarbonCrop Co-founder and CEO. Farmers have an intimate knowledge of their land, and are often the best people to manage the carbon tied to their forests. They just needed a platform that made it possible.
This was the vision that CarbonCrop brought to the Pilot Farm Network: test whether their tools could empower farmers to take charge of the ETS process and unlock the full value of their forests.
Building the Partnership
Agnition’s Pilot Farm Network provided the perfect environment to test CarbonCrop’s platform in real-world settings. From small dairy farms to expansive hill country properties, the collaboration captured diverse perspectives and needs.
For the farmers involved, it wasn’t just about testing a tool, it was about gaining insights into their land’s carbon potential and learning how to navigate and manage their carbon forests. For CarbonCrop, the pilot provided invaluable feedback to refine their platform’s usability and effectiveness.
What Did We Test?
The Pilot Farm partnership focused on CarbonCrop’s supported DIY model. This approach aimed to strike a balance between empowering farmers to manage most tasks themselves while still offering guidance at critical moments.
Here’s what was put to the test:
AI Mapping Tools: Automatically identify forest boundaries without the need for complex GIS software.
Eligibility Modelling: Determine which areas of land qualify for ETS registration.
Step-by-Step Workflows: Simplify the process of gathering data, preparing submissions, and completing registration.
Financial Insights: Provide instant projections of potential carbon revenue to help farmers make informed decisions.
The Pilot Process
Agnition’s Pilot Farm Network brought structure and clarity to the testing process. Farmers received hands-on onboarding sessions, which walked them through the platform’s features step-by-step.
Key stages included:
Setting up accounts and exploring the platform’s mapping tools.
Drawing forest boundaries and assessing ETS eligibility.
Generating carbon revenue projections.
Navigating the submission process for registration.
Farmers were encouraged to experiment with the tools, explore scenarios, and provide feedback. For many, this was their first real insight into how much carbon value was sitting untapped on their land.
The Results
The collaboration delivered impressive results, both for the farmers involved and for the future of CarbonCrop’s platform.
Quantifying Carbon Potential
3,100 hectares of land were assessed, including:
200 hectares of ETS-eligible forest (valued at ~$305,000 in annual carbon revenue)
A further 250 hectares were identified, while ineligible for the ETS, it may be viable for supply chain insets.
Empowered Farmers
Farmers reported that the platform helped to demystify carbon forestry, breaking it down into simple tasks for long-term management.
Insights for CarbonCrop
Validated the supported DIY approach as a viable model.
Identified areas where additional automation or support could further enhance accessibility.
Farmer Feedback
The response from farmers was overwhelmingly positive. They appreciated the hands-on nature of the platform and the ability to visualise their land’s carbon potential. The tools also helped farmers build understanding about their forests’ value and possibilities. They could experiment with scenarios, like planting new areas or retiring erosion-prone land and see the potential outcomes in real time forecasts.
A Taranaki dairy-farmer remarked “CarbonCrop’s system made it easy to plan for planting and carbon credits. Insightful, efficient, and farmer-friendly. Excited for the next steps!”
Lessons Learned
The Agnition-CarbonCrop partnership highlighted three key takeaways:
Farmers Are Ready Given the right tools and guidance, farmers are well-equipped to take an active role in managing opportunities - especially around carbon removals.
Simplicity is Key Breaking down complex workflows into intuitive steps boosts confidence and adoption.
Collaboration is Powerful Creating meaningful, user-driven solutions is easy when businesses have the opportunity to collaborate with, and get direct feedback from, their customer base.
Looking Ahead
This collaboration is just the beginning. With lessons from the pilot in hand, CarbonCrop is scaling its platform to make carbon markets more accessible to farmers across New Zealand. Agnition, meanwhile, continues to connect innovators and farmers through the Pilot Farm Network, ensuring that New Zealand’s agricultural sector remains at the forefront of sustainability and innovation.
Together, they’ve proven that by combining practical tools with real-world testing, it’s possible to unlock new opportunities for farmers while creating a lasting positive impact for the environment.
Want to learn more?
Discover more about how CarbonCrop can help you manage your on-farm forest at carboncrop.com
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