How does a VM0051 rice project pay Indian farmers for AWD?
VM0051 credits the methane a project cuts by flooding irrigated rice less: a single drainage, alternate wetting and drying, or direct seeded rice. It does not set farmer payments; the project's contract does. Fields need controlled irrigation and drainage, so rainfed, upland and deep water paddies cannot join.
Which fields qualify
- At least one main activity: single drainage or a shorter flooded period, alternate wetting and drying (AWD), or direct seeded rice.
- Controlled irrigation and drainage, so the field can be dried and flooded on schedule.
- The same number of rice seasons a year as before the project.
- Not eligible: upland, rainfed, deep water and non-irrigated lowland rice, or any change that cuts carbon going into the soil, such as removing more straw.
What farmers must do
- Follow the project's guidance on drainage depth, timing and length. As a general practice, water during dry periods sits around 10 cm below the soil surface.
- Start the first AWD drainage at least 21 days after the first flood, as VM0051 advises.
- Keep yield from falling more than 5%: experts set thresholds for each stratum with that limit.
- Receive training from the project, which must be documented for the verifier.
Evidence from the farm
Practice details come from talking to the farmer. Quantities come first from records backed by documents or remote sensing, then management plans, then the farmer's signed attestation. A digital record of the farmer accepting the information shown in an app counts as an attestation. VM0051 encourages digital tools, especially satellite checks of irrigation and drainage dates.
Version and payment
VM0051 v1.1 has been active since 14 July 2026 and credits reductions only, not removals. Projects using its default factor approach with a capacity limit of 60,000 tonnes CO2e a year take a fixed 15% uncertainty deduction. Payment to farmers follows the contract, usually after verification and the sale of credits.
What Senseible does here
Senseible's field app runs biochar and regenerative farming modules; rice water management is not one of its modules yet.
Sources: Verra, VM0051 Improved Management in Rice Production Systems, v1.1 (active since 14 July 2026), methodology page, Verra, VM0051 v1.1 methodology document: Sections 1, 3, 4 and 9.3, Box 1 and Appendix 4 (DMRV)
Last reviewed 2026-11-02.