Agriculture-focused carbon removal solutions provider Agoro Carbon announced that it has signed a 12-year offtake agreement with Microsoft, providing the tech giant with 2.6 million carbon credits from its U.S.-based projects, marking one of the largest soil-based carbon removal commitments to date.

Launched in 2021 by Norway-based crop nutrition company Yara, Agoro Carbon partners with farmers and ranchers to sequester carbon in the soil and generate verified soil carbon credits. The company’s projects deploy regenerative agricultural practices, including cover cropping, improved grazing and reduced tillage, which sequesters carbon in the soil, in addition to enhancing agricultural resilience, biodiversity, food security and water retention.

According to Agoro, in addition to helping farmers generate an additional income stream, with the company providing agronomic and financial support for producers to implement the regenerative agricultural practices, farmers also benefit from improved crop and forage yields, increased input efficiency, and enhanced resistance to extreme weather.

Elliot Formal, CEO of Agoro Carbon, said:

“This agreement with Microsoft is the strongest endorsement of our quality-driven, farmer-focused approach to soil carbon sequestration. We’re working with farmers and ranchers—offering hands-on support from our agronomists to ensure they achieve meaningful, long-term outcomes. From initial implementation to sustained success, we’re committed to helping producers build resilient operations for the future.”

Microsoft is by far the largest corporate buyer of carbon removal credits globally, with the company recently reporting that it contracted nearly 22 million tons of carbon removal last year alone as part of its efforts to become carbon negative by 2030. In just the past few weeks, the company has announced a series of large-scale carbon removal purchases across a broad range of technologies including biochar, forest management, bio-energy carbon capture and storage (BECCS), and reforestation, among others. Microsoft also recently announced another soil-based carbon removal agreement with solutions provider Indigo Ag.

The companies noted that Agoro Carbon’s program aligns with Microsoft’s criteria for high-quality removals, with a data-driven approach combining advanced modeling, field-level soil sampling and stringent third-party verification to ensure durability and transparency.

Brian Marrs, Senior Director of Energy Markets at Microsoft, said:

“Agoro Carbon’s approach to soil-based carbon removals reflects the kind of scientific rigor and long-term solution we look for in our carbon removal portfolio. This agreement supports our broader sustainability goals at Microsoft, including support of scalable, agriculture-based climate solutions that deliver measurable impact over time.”

Source - https://www.esgtoday.com