Carbon removal doesn’t have to be complicated. When people think about carbon removal, they often picture planting trees. Trees absorb carbon from the atmosphere and store it as biomass for decades, making them a well-known carbon solution. But what if there were a way to remove carbon faster, at scale, and with even more benefits?

There is. It’s called soil carbon sequestration, and it’s as simple as planting a tree—but can deliver faster, more scalable carbon removal with additional ecosystem benefits.

Healthy soils store 2–3 times more carbon than all the world’s forests combined. And unlike trees, which take years to mature, soil carbon levels can increase quickly with the right land management practices.

Soil carbon credits make this possible by paying farmers to adopt regenerative practices that pull carbon from the atmosphere and store it underground. The best part? This solution is available now, scalable worldwide, and improves both food security and farmer livelihoods.

How soil carbon sequestration works

Soil acts like a sponge—absorbing and holding carbon just as it holds water. When soil is healthy, it pulls CO₂ from the atmosphere and stores it underground. But when soil is degraded, it loses its ability to retain both carbon and moisture, leading to carbon loss, erosion, and lower crop yields.

The good news is that soil carbon levels can be quickly restored with the right land management practices. Here’s how it works:

1. Plants pull carbon from the air: Through photosynthesis, crops, grasses, and trees absorb CO₂ and transfer it to their roots.

2. Healthy soils store carbon: Organic matter from roots, microbes, and decomposed plant material locks carbon underground. (If you want to really dig deep on this aspect, the New York Times has a great article on “How Fungi Move Among Us”).

3. Regenerative practices accelerate sequestration: Regenerative ranching prevents overgrazing, allowing pastures to regenerate, strengthen root systems, and retain more moisture. Cover cropping increases carbon storage by keeping soil covered year-round; rotational grazing stimulates plant growth and root development; no-till farming preserves stored carbon by preventing soil disturbance. 

4. Technology tracks carbon sequestration: Technology can measure the soil carbon gains for accurate, transparent, and reliable credit issuance.

Kiss the Ground has one of the best explainer videos we’ve seen on The Soil Story. If you want an even deeper dive, check out our Soil Carbon White Paper.

Why soil carbon is one of the smartest climate investments today

Carbon markets are expanding rapidly and demand for high-quality carbon removal credits is surging.

Agricultural soils have the potential to remove two to five gigatons of CO₂ per year—more than all global forests combined. With the right land management, soil becomes a long-term carbon sink, while also improving food security, biodiversity, and water retention.

Unlike forestry or engineered carbon removal solutions that take years to produce results, soil carbon sequestration delivers measurable climate impact today. But until recently, verifying and scaling soil carbon projects was expensive and inefficient.

That’s what makes the chart below so compelling. Soil carbon is one of the most cost-effective and rapidly deployable carbon removal strategies available. It combines immediacy, affordability, and real-world co-benefits. While other methods like direct air capture or afforestation require significant upfront investment or long timelines, improved soil practices begin drawing down carbon in the first growing season.

This positions soil carbon as a smart addition to any sustainability strategy:

1. Quick returns through early credit generation

2. Lower cost per tonne, compared to other removal approaches

3. Added ecological and social co-benefits for food systems, water retention, biodiversity, and rural livelihoods

As the carbon market matures, investing in a diverse portfolio of solutions will be critical—and soil carbon deserves a central place in that mix.

Advancing soil carbon measurement—more accurate, more cost-effective, more money to farmers

One of the biggest challenges in soil carbon projects has been the difficulty and cost of measuring and verifying carbon stocks. Traditional methods rely on manual soil sampling, which is expensive, time-consuming, and limits project scale.

New technology has changed that. AI and remote sensing now allow for precise, cost-effective measurement of soil carbon, removing barriers to scalability. By using satellite imagery, advanced modeling, and machine learning, we can track soil carbon with higher accuracy and lower costs than ever before.

This greater precision increases the value and integrity of carbon credits, making them more attractive to buyers. And because verification costs are lower, more of the revenue from credit sales goes directly to farmers, creating a stronger financial incentive to adopt regenerative agriculture.

Why now is the time to buy soil carbon credits

Soil carbon credits offer an immediate, scalable solution, but as companies rush to secure verified removal credits, supply constraints are emerging.

Soil carbon credits also offer strong long-term value. As compliance markets evolve, credits that meet regulatory standards (such as CORSIA and Article 6.2) will be more likely to retain their value and credibility, reducing reputational risks for buyers.

Boomitra’s soil carbon projects: scalable, science-backed, and ready for buyers

Most soil carbon projects are small in scale, limiting their impact. Boomitra operates across millions of acres, ensuring buyers have access to reliable, high-quality carbon removal.

With projects spanning Africa, Asia, and Latin America, we offer buyers the opportunity to diversify their portfolios by region and crop type.

Boomitra was the first company approved by Verra to measure soil carbon stocks using AI and remote sensing, setting a new standard for speed and scalability in the market. Buyers benefit from early credit generation, lower cost per tonne, and proven climate impact.

To date, more than 100,000 farmers are participating in our carbon farming projects, with millions of acres under management. These projects have already removed over 10 million tonnes of CO₂, and that impact continues to grow.

Why soil carbon deserves a place in your climate strategy

Soil carbon credits deliver real climate impact while also supporting food security, biodiversity, and rural livelihoods. As demand rises and high-integrity credits become harder to find, now is the time to secure soil carbon as part of a strong, diverse sustainability portfolio.

Explore how soil carbon credits can strengthen your climate strategy.

Shelley Northrop

VP, Marketing