A sustainable agriculture project in Kenya has not only been the first of its kind to earn carbon credits, it is also increasing crop yields.

Ecosystem Marketplace reports that the Kenya Agricultural Carbon Project (KACP), which involves 60,000 farmers on 45,000 hectares, has successfully stored carbon in the soil equivalent to the emissions from 5,164 vehicles a year. Farmers have also increased their yields through improved soil fertility.

This signifies that “sustainable agricultural practices makes smart business sense,” says the article.

The credits under the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) are the first to be issued through the sustainable agricultural land management (SALM) carbon accounting methodology. This program promotes sustainable or ‘climate-safe’ agriculture that has also proven to increase yields in some cases.

The KACP project is part of the World Bank’s efforts to extend climate finance to incentivize better land management and is being implemented by the Swedish NGO, Vi Agroforestry.

“The exciting results in Kenya show how strategic investment by development organizations like the World Bank can truly benefit farmers in the developing world by helping them harness the power of the international carbon market.” said David Antonioli, VCS Chief Executive Officer.

Read the full story: Kenyans Earn First Ever Carbon Credits From Sustainable Farming