Mitti Labs is rolling out AI-powered tools to cut methane emissions from rice paddies—and partnering big to scale fast.
The New York startup measures methane released by rice farms using satellite and radar data combined with AI models. It trains Indian farmers on climate-smart methods that slash methane, a greenhouse gas 82 times more potent than CO2.
Mitti tracks methane reductions to generate carbon credits. The startup takes a cut and shares the rest with farmers, delivering about a 15% boost to their income. 
The key? Partnerships. Mitti recently teamed up with The Nature Conservancy to launch regenerative, no-burn agriculture projects in India. Mitti’s tech measures, reports, and verifies on-the-ground work by local villagers helping farmers adopt greener farming.
Co-founder Xavier Laguarta told TechCrunch:
“Most of the project operations on the ground are from locals from the villages where these projects are being implemented.”
Mitti’s software also plans to serve third parties, offering a SaaS solution to measure Scope 3 emissions for other developers or companies working with rice farmers.
“We can measure Scope 3 emissions from other project developers or corporations that are working with rice farmers,” Laguarta said.
“Anyone who’s already running projects on the ground, that’s sort of like a SaaS solution that we can offer them.”
Rice farming is a major methane source—10-12% of global human-linked emissions. Flooded rice paddies create low-oxygen soil that fuels methane-producing microbes. Mitti’s AI crunches satellite data, including radar that sees through clouds and plants, to estimate emissions cost-effectively.
Small farms dominate rice growing in Asia, especially India. Using local partnerships and remote sensing keeps monitoring doable and helps millions of farmers shift to cleaner practices.
Laguarta added:
“Ninety percent of rice is grown in Asia, and outside of potentially China, the majority of rice growing regions have these similar smallholder farmer dynamics.”
“A deep partnership that we have with the Nature Conservancy allows us to develop these tools that can then be used for a lot of other programs in the region.”
Mitti Labs is betting on partnerships and AI tech to make methane-cutting rice farming practical—and profitable—for millions.
