- Google, Amazon, and Microsoft are scrambling to meet their internal net-zero targets, with the data centre build-out pushing their emissions upwards
- A new crop of startups in India are betting on generating carbon credits by introducing “ecologically sustainable” practices on Indian farms
- Yet, the methodology for validating these credits is untested at scale and rice-methane credits have been embroiled in scandal
- There are also questions about how much of the revenue drips down to the farmer and partner organisations, as well as how much real change is delivered on the ground
Every monsoon, Manu works in counts of five.
In the first half of July, usually the fifth month in her lunar calendar, she starts a motor and floods her paddy field with up to five centimetres of water. For five days, she lets it soak, and once the paddy stands in relatively dry soil, she digs a channel and drains the excess. Five days later, she floods the field again.
Manu’s family has farmed rice in Nashik, Maharashtra for nearly 20 years. “They would keep the field filled with water, all the time,” she said. “What I have been doing for the past six years saves water.”
The technique is called alternate wetting and drying (AWD), and it saves more than just water.
In 2024, out of nowhere, Manu got a call from an organisation called Value Network Ventures. They wanted to pay her Rs 2,000 per acre to do exactly what she said she’d been doing all along.
Turns out, wetting and drying paddy fields can cut down methane emissions. Paddy fields contributed to 3.2 million tonnes of methane released in India—about 16% of the country’s total methane emissions—according to its 2020 report to a United Nations body.
Right now, a company that can show a farmer using AWD can count the methane that wasn’t released, turn it into carbon credits, and sell it to buyers who want to cancel out their own emissions.
India is the world’s second-largest source of such voluntary carbon offsets, after the US, and Big Tech especially can’t seem to buy enough of them to wash away their data-centre and AI infrastructure sins.
Google and Amazon together emitted nearly 100 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2025, blaming much of it on AI infrastructure. A lot of that building is now happening in India too—by 2030, hyperscalers will account for nearly 30% of India’s promised 3.9 GW data centre capacity.
In September, Google signed a four-year deal to buy 1 million credits from Bengaluru-based Mitti Labs. Amazon is reportedly paying $30 million to The Good Rice Alliance (TGRA), a venture led by German pharmaceutical and biotechnology company Bayer, for more than 685,000 credits in its initial phase.
Credits
Google and Amazon’s newfound fascination with India’s paddy fields
Mrunmayee Kulkarni, Santhom J Joseph
Know someone who'd appreciate this read?
Share this story with them.
This story is only available to subscribers of The Ken.
Already a subscriber? Log in
The only business subscription you need
Unrivaled analysis and powerful stories about businesses from award-winning journalists.
Read by 5,00,000+ subscribers globally who want to be prepared for what comes next.
-
MOST POPULAR
Only Free
+ Premium Podcasts
Only Free Podcasts
Access to podcasts covering the hottest business and startup trends in India
Only Free Podcasts
Access to podcasts covering the hottest business and startup trends in India
Partner Account Access
Partner Account Access
Get two independent Premium accounts
Partner Account Access
Get two independent Premium accounts
Gift a 1 Year Subscription for Free
1+1 subscription
Gift a subscription to The Ken to anyone you like
1+1 subscription
Gift a subscription to The Ken to anyone you like
App Access
iPad App Access
Priority Access
To new product offerings, features, community features, and events
Daily Long-form
Stories
Daily Long-form Stories
Daily long-form stories from India’s startup ecosystem, internet economy, and publicly-listed tech and consumer companies.
Daily Long-form Stories
Daily long-form stories from India’s startup ecosystem, internet economy, and publicly-listed tech and consumer companies.
Only Subscriber
+ Premium
Newsletters
Only Subscriber Newsletters
Topical and sharp weekly industry newsletters covering e-commerce, retail, fintech, personal finance, edtech. Fresh and original weekend newsletters like The Nutgraf and First Principles.
Only Subscriber Newsletters
Topical and sharp weekly industry newsletters covering e-commerce, retail, fintech, personal finance, edtech. Fresh and original weekend newsletters like The Nutgraf and First Principles.
Visual Stories
Only Free
+ Premium Podcasts
Free + Premium Podcasts
Covering the most interesting workplaces, career and business trends, along with candid conversations with founders and business leaders.
Free + Premium Podcasts
Covering the most interesting workplaces, career and business trends, along with candid conversations with founders and business leaders.
2 Years
Archive access to the last two years of stories
2
Simultaneous browser sessions
+
1
Android/iOS App
Free + Premium Podcasts
Free + Premium Podcasts
Access to our entire collection of premium podcasts covering the most interesting business, career, and startup trends in India
Free + Premium Podcasts
Access to our entire collection of premium podcasts covering the most interesting business, career, and startup trends in India
Partner Account Access
Partner Account Access
Get two independent Premium accounts
Partner Account Access
Get two independent Premium accounts
Gift a 1 Year Subscription for Free
1+1 subscription
Gift a subscription to The Ken to anyone you like
1+1 subscription
Gift a subscription to The Ken to anyone you like
App Access
iPad App Access
Priority Access
To new product offerings, features, community features, and events
Daily Long-form
Stories
Daily Long-form Stories
Daily long-form stories from India’s startup ecosystem, internet economy, and publicly-listed tech and consumer companies.
Daily Long-form Stories
Daily long-form stories from India’s startup ecosystem, internet economy, and publicly-listed tech and consumer companies.
Subscriber + Premium Newsletters
Subscriber + Premium Newsletters
Topical and sharp weekly industry newsletters covering e-commerce, retail, fintech, personal finance, edtech. Fresh and original weekend newsletters like The Nutgraf and First Principles.
Subscriber + Premium Newsletters
Topical and sharp weekly industry newsletters covering e-commerce, retail, fintech, personal finance, edtech. Fresh and original weekend newsletters like The Nutgraf and First Principles.
Visual Stories
Visual stories
Understand business the way it’s meant to be seen, through charts, graphs, and infographics.
Visual stories
Understand business the way it’s meant to be seen, through charts, graphs, and infographics.
Free + Premium Podcasts
Free + Premium Podcasts
Access to the collection of premium podcasts that cover the most interesting workplaces, career, and business trends, along with candid conversations with founders and business leaders.
Free + Premium Podcasts
Access to the collection of premium podcasts that cover the most interesting workplaces, career, and business trends, along with candid conversations with founders and business leaders.
Unlimited
Access to all The Ken's Archives
2
Simultaneous browser sessions
+
2
Android/iOS App + iPad App
Free + Premium Podcasts
Free + Premium Podcasts
Access to our entire collection of premium podcasts covering the most interesting business, career, and startup trends in India
Free + Premium Podcasts
Access to our entire collection of premium podcasts covering the most interesting business, career, and startup trends in India
Partner Account Access
Partner Account Access
Get two independent Premium accounts
Partner Account Access
Get two independent Premium accounts
Gift a 1 Year Subscription for Free
1+1 subscription
Gift a subscription to The Ken to anyone you like
1+1 subscription
Gift a subscription to The Ken to anyone you like
App Access
iPad App Access
Priority Access
To new product offerings, features, community features, and events
Daily Long-form
Stories
Daily Long-form stories
Daily long-form stories from India’s startup ecosystem, internet economy, and publicly-listed tech and consumer companies.
Daily Long-form stories
Daily long-form stories from India’s startup ecosystem, internet economy, and publicly-listed tech and consumer companies.
Subscriber + Premium Newsletters
Subscriber + Premium Newsletters
Topical and sharp weekly industry newsletters covering e-commerce, retail, fintech, personal finance, edtech. Fresh and original weekend newsletters like The Nutgraf and First Principles.
Subscriber + Premium Newsletters
Topical and sharp weekly industry newsletters covering e-commerce, retail, fintech, personal finance, edtech. Fresh and original weekend newsletters like The Nutgraf and First Principles.
Visual Stories
Visual Stories
Understand business the way it’s meant to be seen, through charts, graphs, and infographics.
Visual Stories
Understand business the way it’s meant to be seen, through charts, graphs, and infographics.
Free + Premium Podcasts
Free + Premium Podcasts
Access to the collection of premium podcasts that cover the most interesting workplaces, careers, and business trends, along with candid conversations with founders and business leaders.
Free + Premium Podcasts
Access to the collection of premium podcasts that cover the most interesting workplaces, careers, and business trends, along with candid conversations with founders and business leaders.
Unlimited
Access to all The Ken's Archives
2 + 2
Simultaneous browser sessions
+
2 + 2
Android/iOS App + iPad App
Not ready to subscribe? Sign up for a free account.
Get complete access to select stories, free newsletters and podcasts.
Sign up for free Learn more
OR
Trusted by 5,00,000+ executives and leaders from the world’s most successful organisations and students at top post-graduate campuses
Sharp, Original, Insightful, Analytical, Handcrafted
Unrivaled analysis and powerful stories about businesses in India and abroad from award-winning journalists. Includes access to long-form articles, premium newsletters, and our top-ranked podcasts.
Coverage across Sectors, Companies, and Geographies
Decode the most significant shifts in business, technology, startups, and healthcare. All told through a combination of original reporting, beautifully visualised data, and compelling narratives.
Made even better by a 5,00,000+ community
Our subscribers include leaders from the world’s most successful companies, students at top post-graduate campuses, and smart, curious people who want to understand how business is shaping the future.
FAQs
We have three subscription plans - Basic, Premium, and Premium Duo.
- The Basic plan only gives you access to daily long-form stories, subscriber newsletters, free podcasts, and archive access for the previous two years. You won’t get our premium newsletters, premium podcasts, visual stories, and the iPad app.
- The Premium plan gives you complete access to all of The Ken’s products and features.
- The Premium Duo plan gives you complete access to The Ken for two independent accounts.
We publish sharp, original, deeply reported long-form stories from India’s startup ecosystem, internet economy, and publicly listed tech and consumer companies. Our stories are forward-looking, analytical, and directional—supported by data, visualisations, and infographics. We use language and narrative that is accessible to even lay readers. And we optimise for quality over quantity, every single time.
Our specialised subscriber-only newsletters are written by our expert, award-winning journalists and cover a range of topics across finance, retail, clean energy, and edtech, alongside weekend newsletters like The Nutgraf and First Principles.
Yes, you can upgrade to a higher plan while your current subscription is still active. Our system will automatically give you a discount against the remainder of your current subscription.
You will get a discount equivalent to the time remaining in your current subscription.
Yes, we do have corporate subscriptions, corporate gift subscriptions, and campus plans for larger groups that wish to read The Ken together. Write to us at [email protected] and we'll help you with that.
Yes. You will have to upload a valid student ID card during checkout to avail the 50% discount. You can purchase a student subscription here.
We do not allow downloading and distribution of our stories. The Ken is a digital subscription-based product and only those with an active subscription will have access to the stories, either on our app or the website.
We allow three simultaneous logins per subscription for the Basic plan: two on the web and one on The Ken app on mobile.
We allow four simultaneous logins per subscription for the Premium and Premium Duo plans: two on the web, one on The Ken app on mobile, and one on the app on an Android tablet or iPad.
These are counted per platform and not pooled together. So signing in on a third browser will log out your earliest browser session, and the same applies to each app.
We do not offer any cancellations or refunds. If you are facing any issues with your subscription, you can write to us at [email protected].
No
Sorry, no. Our journalism is funded completely by our subscribers. We believe that quality journalism comes at a price, and readers trust and pay us so that we can remain independent.
Looking for Group Subscriptions?