Revision to VM0042 Methodology for Improved Agricultural Land Management, v1.0

This methodology quantifies the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions and soil organic carbon (SOC) removals resulting from the adoption of improved agricultural land management (ALM) practices. Such practices include, but are not limited to, reductions in fertilizer application and tillage, and improvements in water management,  residue management, cash crop, and cover crop planting and harvest, and grazing practices.

The proposed revisions to the methodology and module will expand the usability of the methodology and clarify numerous issues across the breadth of VM0042. Key proposed revisions include: introducing a baseline control sites option to allow for direct SOC measurement under Quantification Approach 2; overhauling Section 8.6 on uncertainty assessment; and clarifying modeling procedures in the VMD0053 module. Further errata and clarifications will also be included.

The revisions were coordinated by Verra in-house experts with technical input from an external consultant (on uncertainty assessment) as well as a range of stakeholders. The methodology revision also undergoes a full VVB assessment.