ICAC Launches Global Carbon Credits Initiative for Cotton Farmers — Powered by geoclara

Insights

• The International Cotton Advisory Committee has launched an initiative linking sustainable cotton production directly to carbon credit income, with participating farmers able to earn up to $200 per hectare in additional revenue.

• Merago (geoclara) is ICAC's implementation partner, overseeing MRV, certification and the trading of credits generated under ICAC-led regenerative agriculture programs. A pilot is already underway in Uzbekistan.
  

Cotton farmers have always been paid for what they grow above the ground. A new initiative from the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC), the only UN-recognised intergovernmental commodity body for cotton, aims to pay them for what they build below it: healthier, carbon-rich soil.

Announced from Washington, DC, the program is designed to unlock additional income streams for cotton farmers through participation in carbon credit markets, linking sustainable production practices directly to financial returns. Under the program, participating producers could generate up to $200 per hectare in additional revenue, while improving soil health, enhancing resilience and contributing to the fight against climate change.

Rigour meets the field

The initiative integrates three elements: regenerative agriculture practices, biochar application, and a robust monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) system that generates high-quality, certified carbon credits meeting international market standards. The combination of scientific rigour and practical on-the-ground implementation is intended to ensure both environmental integrity and financial viability, the two things carbon programs most often get wrong.

A pilot phase is currently underway in Uzbekistan, where early results indicate strong potential for replication across cotton-producing countries. The model offers a scalable pathway to climate-smart agriculture: farmers benefit economically from sustainable land management while contributing to global climate goals.

geoclara's role

To support implementation and market integration, ICAC has partnered with Merago Inc., the company behind the geoclara platform. Under the partnership, geoclara oversees MRV processes, certification, and the trading of carbon credits generated under ICAC-led regenerative agriculture and carbon sequestration programs.

This is precisely the gap geoclara was built to close. The reason smallholder farmers have historically been shut out of carbon markets isn't a lack of carbon — it's the cost and complexity of proving it. Digital MRV brings that cost down to where per-hectare programs like this one become viable, and credible enough for international buyers.

An open invitation

The ICAC Secretariat has invited governments, private sector businesses, certification bodies and industry experts to collaborate in scaling the initiative across the global cotton sector. The Uzbekistan pilot is the first proof point; the partnership framework signed with CITI in India shows how quickly the model is beginning to travel.

About ICAC: Formed in 1939, the International Cotton Advisory Committee is an association of cotton producing, consuming and trading countries. It helps member countries maintain a healthy world cotton economy, provides transparency to the world cotton market as a clearinghouse for technical information, and serves as a forum for cotton issues of international significance. It is the only intergovernmental commodity body covering cotton recognised by the United Nations. More at icac.org.

Source: ICAC press release, April 30, 2026.