Sowing the seeds of a sustainable future: Boomitra’s AI and satellite-powered soil carbon solutions | S. 1 E. 74 with Aadith Moorthy

The Sustainability Journey

In this episode we meet Aadith Moorthy, the CEO and co-founder of Boomitra, a company that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and satellite technology to quantify and monetize soil carbon. They discuss the importance of soil carbon, the technology behind Boomitra, the role of carbon markets, and the future goals of the company. Boomitra means “Friend of the Earth” in Sanskrit.

Aadith explains that soil carbon is critical for climate change mitigation, as it can store three times more carbon than the atmosphere. By working with farmers to implement regenerative agriculture practices, Boomitra aims to increase soil carbon and help mitigate climate change.

The company's unique technology uses AI and satellite imagery to measure soil carbon at a fraction of the cost of traditional methods. Aadith emphasizes that "using satellites and AI, we are able to not only measure what's happening, but we are able to measure it at a 90% plus cost reduction compared to doing the soil sampling and every farmer getting it tested”.

Boomitra’s approach ensures that the value of carbon credits reaches the communities that need it the most, with contracts stipulating that the majority of funds must go to the farmers. Aadith also addresses the recent debate around carbon markets, explaining how the company addresses concerns of over-crediting and ensures the validity of their carbon credits by using control sites and measuring additionality.

Aadith's vision is to reach 500 million farmers by the end of the decade and achieve gigaton-scale carbon removal. He encourages listeners to think in terms of gigaton-scale solutions for climate change, stating, "that's how we can have a truly meaningful impact on climate change, be it adaptation or mitigation or anything else”.

Throughout the episode, Aadith emphasizes the importance of technology, carbon markets, and gigaton-scale solutions in addressing climate change and supporting smallholder farmers around the world.