Verra Consults on Major Revision to Improved Agricultural Land Management Methodology (VM0042)

Verra has opened a public consultation on a major revision (methodology development ID #M0264) to VM0042 Improved Agricultural Land Management, v2.2 and VMD0053 Model Calibration, Validation, and Uncertainty Guidance for Biogeochemical Modeling for Agricultural Land Management Projects, v2.1 in the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program.

The consultation also includes a template for model calibration and validation reports and a Soil Sampling and Analysis (SSA) Handbook. The SSA Handbook is a new guidance document that elaborates on VM0042’s requirements for soil sampling design, sample size determination, field and laboratory procedures and equivalent soil mass calculations. The SSA Handbook will be published by March 2 (this announcement will be updated accordingly, and relevant stakeholders will be notified).

The consultation will run from February 11 through March 31, 2026.

The updated versions of VM0042 and VMD0053 aim to maximize consistency with the quantification approaches and required documentation of other VCS methodologies. They would also bring VM0042 into alignment with version 5 of the VCS Program (e.g., requirements for grouped projects, and rules pertaining to ecosystem degradation and restoration). The revisions would also increase the methodology’s flexibility by making it adaptable to agronomic reality across global geographies.

The proposed revisions include the following:

• New guidance for grouped projects to determine the baseline scenario
• Introduction of a cumulative accounting approach for quantifying net reductions and removals that results in more accurate accounting of long-term carbon stock increases
• Specific requirements for repeated measurements and model prediction error true-up when following a “measure and model” approach (Quantification Approach 1 [QA 1]) to quantify soil organic carbon (SOC) stock changes
• Improved rigor and consistency of SOC modeling as part of QA 1 to quantify SOC stock changes
• Alignment of VM0042’s woody biomass quantification approach with the one used under VM0047 Methodology for Afforestation, Reforestation, and Revegetation, v1.1
• Revised requirements for grazing projects implemented on pastures and rangelands that are consistent with those proposed in a major revision to VM0032 Methodology for the Adoption of Sustainable Grasslands through Adjustment of Fire and Grazing, v1.0, and with the proposed version 2.0 of VM0032, and that clarify each methodology’s applicability in terms of agricultural management, land use, and land cover
• New guidance for setting baselines that can accommodate flexible crop rotations by averaging modeled baseline scenarios of multiple crop years (“blended baseline”)
• Standardization enhancements for stratification, soil sampling procedures, sample processing, and laboratory analysis when determining changes in SOC stocks
• General clarifications and improvements to equations

On Wednesday, March 11, at 11:00 am ET, Verra will host a webinar to provide an overview of this public consultation.

In October 2025, the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) approved VM0042, v2.2 as meeting the requirements of the Core Carbon Principles (CCP) Assessment Framework. Once finalized, Verra will submit VM0042, v3.0 to the ICVCM for consideration of the included updates.

Please see the public consultation documents for the full background and details about the proposed updates.

*Note: The greenlined version of the document “Draft VM0042, v3.0 Sections 9-10″ is available upon request.

Verra is accepting feedback through its digital public consultation platform, which is hosted on the Verra Project Hub. Stakeholders will need to use the link provided to enter their personal details, confirm their email address, and access the online consultation form. For additional guidance, please review the user guide (PDF).