Media release: One of the central challenges in nature-based carbon removal projects is how to restore underutilized land to create productive agroforestry systems at scale while also benefiting communities and the ecosystem. In central India, the ‘Swiftgreen’ project developed under VM0047 offers a compelling model for how this can be done. The project, which establishes smallholder agroforestry plots on tribal lands, was awarded a pre-issuance ‘A’ rating on August 6, 2026, by independent international carbon data and rating platform, Sylvera.
Sylvera’s ratings assess how closely a project’s claimed carbon impact matches its real-world impact, helping buyers compare credits across different standards and methodologies. A pre-issuance ‘A’ rating indicates the project is high integrity and has a high likelihood to scale. Agroforestry integrates trees and shrubs into farming landscapes, helping the tribal farmers in the project areas to improve the productivity and resilience of their land while creating environmental and economic benefits.
The Swiftgreen project is developed by India-based climate company Equilibrium and backed by Australia’s largest environmental projects developer, GreenCollar. Swiftgreen is Equilibrium’s second project to be assigned a Sylvera ‘A’ rating. The project brings together Equilibrium’s on-ground restoration and tech capabilities with support and environmental markets experience from GreenCollar.
The Swiftgreen project spans the 5 Indian states of Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Maharashtra and goes beyond carbon. The project works directly with tribal farmers to plant at least 6 different native and mixed-use species of trees and bamboo to transform unused and underutilized land into productive and biologically diverse agroforestry systems. The planting interventions are designed to improve soil health, improve fodder availability for livestock, and generate long-term livelihood opportunities for farming households while promoting environmental sustainability and climate resilience. Participating farmers retain full ownership of everything grown on their land, with intercrop, fruit, bamboo and timber plantations designed to generate income over time. The project further supports alternative livelihoods such as sewing, poultry and goat rearing.
Two IUCN-listed species serve as ecological benchmarks for the restoration efforts: Safed Musli, a critically endangered medicinal herb that is being cultivated to reduce pressure on declining wild populations, and the Green Munia, a vulnerable native bird whose habitat is being enhanced through the establishment of dense native bamboo plantations.
The project uses Equilibrium’s GeoAI dMRV system which combines field data, GIS and satellite imagery to track farmers, plots and planting events. The system checks satellite data from multiple sources and flags unusual or overlapping plots for a team member to review. Each project plot is compared against similar, unplanted land nearby to show what would likely have happened without the project. This digital infrastructure was purpose-built by Equilibrium to ensure that every farmer, plot and planting event is verified, geo-referenced and audit-ready.
Swiftgreen is expected to involve 18,000 farmers and plant 11.8 million trees across 20,000ha to generate approximately 7.1 Mt CO2e of Verified Carbon Unit (VCU) removal credits. Farmers benefit from increased income from the agroforestry plots and will receive a percentage of the net carbon credit revenue generated by the project.
Sylvera Ratings are statements of opinion and not statements of fact, investment or financial advice, endorsements or recommendations to take or not take a particular action. Sylvera expressly disclaims all warranties and liability. Refer to the Ratings Disclaimer at www.sylvera.com for more information.
Media contacts:
Equilibrium (India): Rishma Saha, +91 98745 37491 or [email protected]
GreenCollar (Australia): Brinsley Marlay +61 412 084 015 or [email protected]
