Mitti Labs Turns Rice Fields into Climate Solutions with AI and Farmer Training

Mitti Labs, an AI remote sensing and field operations company, is pioneering climate-smart rice farming in India, with a focus on Northwest India's Punjab region. Collaborating with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) through its PRANA program, the startup is promoting regenerative and no-burn agricultural practices to address stubble burning, soil degradation, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The PRANA initiative, launched in 2022, has trained thousands of farmers and aims to reach 650,000 farmers in 6,259 villages by 2025, with over 21,000 training sessions planned [1]. The program is now expanding beyond residue management to address water scarcity, soil health, and GHG emissions through regenerative foodscapes and public-private partnerships [1].

Mitti Labs leverages satellite technology, AI, and ground operations to monitor and quantify methane emissions from rice farming, a sector responsible for 12% of global methane emissions—equivalent to 1GT CO2e annually [1]. The startup has developed a digital Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (dMRV) system that provides field-level accuracy and country-level scale, monitoring 10 million hectares of rice farming areas in India—25% of the nation's rice farms [1]. This system enables TNC to steer its interventions toward high-priority regions and validates the impact of climate-smart practices such as Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD), Direct Seeded Rice (DSR), and no-burn crop residue management [1].

The startup has received significant backing from investors, including $150K from NASA’s SBIR Ignite grant in 2024, followed by an additional $850K for Phase II funding in 2025 [1]. This support underscores the potential of Mitti Labs' technology in decarbonizing the $300 billion global rice industry. By connecting smallholder farmers with global companies seeking to offset their emissions through high-quality carbon credits, Mitti is creating a scalable solution to reduce methane emissions. Farmers participating in the program have reported up to a 15% improvement in their bottom line, highlighting the economic benefits of climate-smart practices [2].

Mitti Labs’ technology is also being adapted for use in other regions with similar smallholder farming dynamics, such as other parts of Asia. The startup aims to expand its SaaS-based offerings, allowing third-party organizations to measure Scope 3 emissions from their rice farming projects [2]. This expansion is critical given that rice cultivation is a significant source of methane, contributing around 10% to 12% of global human-caused methane emissions [2]. Mitti’s AI models rely on satellite and radar data to detect methane production patterns, enabling precise, scalable monitoring without the high costs associated with on-site equipment [2].

Globally, data-driven strategies for mitigating GHG emissions in rice farming are gaining traction. A recent study showed that four out of ten key management practices—enhanced efficiency fertilizer, deep fertilization, biochar amendment, and non-continuous irrigation—can reduce GHG emissions intensity by 20.7–54.5% while boosting rice yields by 3.3–10.6% [4]. These findings highlight the vast potential for sustainable rice farming to simultaneously improve productivity and environmental outcomes. In Punjab, where two million farmers transition annually from rice to wheat, the short rotation window often forces farmers to burn rice residue, contributing to CO2 emissions and poor air quality [1]. Mitti’s climate-smart solutions, supported by TNC, are helping to address these challenges and create a more sustainable agricultural landscape.

The integration of AI and satellite technology in rice farming represents a transformative shift in how climate change is addressed in agriculture. By providing farmers with real-time data and financial incentives through carbon credits, startups like Mitti Labs are turning rice farming into a powerful vehicle for climate action. These innovations not only reduce emissions but also improve water-use efficiency and soil health, demonstrating the potential for scalable, data-driven solutions in the fight against climate change [2].

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[1] Mitti Labs Supports The Nature Conservancy in Accelerating Climate Action Solutions Through Advanced Technology for Scalable Practice Shifts (https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mitti-labs-supports-the-nature-conservancy-in-accelerating-climate-action-solutions-through-advanced-technology-for-scalable-practice-shifts-302537915.html)

[2] How One AI Startup Is Helping Rice Farmers Battle Climate Change (https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/26/how-one-ai-startup-is-helping-rice-farmers-battle-climate-change/)

[3] Sustainable Rice Farming: The Future is Now (https://www.numberanalytics.com/blog/sustainable-rice-farming-water-saving-tech)

[4] Data-driven strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions in global rice fields (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S092134****004240)