~Stabilizing supply through the provision of microfinance services for rice farmers in Southeast Asia~
Green Carbon Inc. (CEO: Jun Okita, hereinafter “Green Carbon”), which develops a nature-based carbon credit generation and sales business, has partnered with Archeda, Inc. (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Hiromasa Tsumura; hereinafter “Archeda”), a company developing dMRV solutions for nature-based carbon credit projects using satellite data. Together, we applied for the NEDO-sponsored program “NEDO Challenge: Satellite Data – Updating Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries with Satellite Data!” (hereinafter, “the Program”) and have successfully passed the first screening.
◆Background and Overview of the Project
Green Carbon is engaged in the creation of nature-based carbon credits, primarily in Southeast Asia, and is developing projects across a wide range of fields, including forest conservation, rice paddies, mangrove reforestation, methane reduction from cattle burps, and biochar initiatives. By developing carbon credit projects suited to the characteristics of natural resources in each region and utilizing satellite data for optimal site selection and monitoring, the company achieves efficient and highly transparent project management.
Archeda focuses on nature-based projects such as forests (afforestation, reforestation, and revegetation: ARR; and reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries: REDD+), rice paddies (alternate wetting and drying: AWD), and mangroves. The company also provides solutions for municipalities and forestry operators, including the estimation of forest resource volumes using satellite data.
In April 2024, Archeda entered into a business partnership with Green Carbon. Leveraging the expertise and know-how both companies have cultivated, we are jointly developing a one-stop solution that supports everything from simplifying the carbon credit generation process to ensuring the credibility of forest-based projects.
Furthermore, we jointly applied for NEDO’s satellite utilization program “NEDO Challenge: Satellite Data for Green Earth” held in fiscal year 2024 and advanced to the final screening. Based on this background, Green Carbon and Archeda jointly applied for this project and successfully passed the first screening.
| ＜Proposal Title＞ |
|---|
| “Stabilizing Supply through the Provision of Microfinance Services for Rice Farmers in Southeast Asia” |
| ＜Proposal Overview＞ |
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| This proposal aims to stabilize the livelihoods of small-scale farmers in Southeast Asia who are exposed to risks of declining yields and quality due to the increasing frequency of extreme weather events and who rely on unstable income sources. To achieve this, the project will utilize funds generated from carbon credits to provide microfinance (agricultural insurance) services, in collaboration with local banks and other partners, that compensate for losses in yield and quality caused by climate change and ecosystem disruptions. Through this initiative, the project seeks to realize sustainable agriculture that balances both business stability for farmers and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, while establishing a new model that creates positive economic, social, and environmental impacts. |
◆About “NEDO Challenge: Satellite Data – Updating Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries with Satellite Data!”
This program seeks to solicit a wide range of ideas and solutions that can help address technological and social challenges through a contest-style, reward-based research and development approach. By discovering promising seeds for future problem-solving and new industry creation at an early stage, the program aims to promote opportunities for joint research, practical application, and commercialization of these ideas.
Applicants who pass the first screening are provided with a development environment and given mentoring opportunities by experts (mentors). In the second screening, a public presentation (pitch) is conducted. The final awardees are scheduled to be selected and announced around July 2026.
Organizer:
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Manufacturing Industries Bureau, Space Industry Office
New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), Aerospace Department, Space Division Team
Prizes:
1st Place – 10 million yen
2nd Place – 5 million yen
3rd Place – 3 million yen
Ambassador: Shingo Murakami
URL: https://space-data-challenge.nedo.go.jp
〇NEDO Challenge: Satellite Data – Updating Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries with Satellite Data!
※1：JCM
An abbreviation for “Joint Crediting Mechanism”, a system in which Japan and partner countries cooperate to reduce and absorb greenhouse gas emissions, and share the quantified amount of reductions and absorptions between them. In Japan, the quantified reductions and absorptions can be used as carbon credits. The Japanese government aims to secure approximately 100 million tons of CO₂ in total by fiscal year 2030, and about 200 million tons of CO₂ in total by fiscal year 2040.
※2：AWD
Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) is a technique in which irrigation and natural drying are alternated every few days based on the water level of the paddy field. Compared to continuous flooding, AWD reduces water usage and contributes to the conservation of water resources.
◆ Green Carbon Inc.
Representative: Jun Okita, CEO
Head Office: PREX North 9F, 2-3-2 Kojimachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Established: December 2019
Business Activities: Development and sales of carbon credits, agriculture-related projects, environmental projects, other related businesses, and ESG consulting
Website: https://green-carbon.co.jp/en/
◆ Archeda Inc. – Company Overview
Representative: Hiromasa Tsumura, CEO
Head Office: 36th Floor, Kasumigaseki Building, 3-2-5 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Established: September 2022
Business Activities: Analysis of natural environments using satellite data; monitoring and analysis of carbon credit projects
URL: https://archeda.inc
◆ About Green Carbon
Guided by the vision of “Harnessing the power of life to save the Earth,” Green Carbon develops and supports projects that generate, register, and sell nature-based carbon credits both in Japan and abroad. The company is also engaged in agriculture-related businesses, R&D initiatives, and ESG consulting.
Its business activities span Japan, Southeast Asia, Australia, and South America, creating credits from rice paddies, biochar, forest conservation, carbon farming, mangrove planting, and cattle methane reduction. In Japan, Green Carbon obtained certification in FY2023 for the country’s first and one of the largest-scale rice paddy J-Credit projects (approx. 6,220 t). In FY2024, the company plans to expand this initiative to around 40,000 ha (approx. 80,000 t).
Green Carbon also provides “Agreen,” a one-stop platform service that streamlines the entire process of credit registration, application, and sales. By simplifying procedures and documentation, the service reduces the administrative burden on credit creators.