Agreena Closes Record Seven-Year Deal to Supply 4.45 Million Tonnes of Kazakh Soil Carbon Credits

Agreena has signed a seven-year forward purchase agreement to deliver 4.45 million tonnes of soil carbon credits from farmland in northern Kazakhstan, in what the Danish company describes as the largest publicly disclosed deal of its kind in agricultural carbon markets.

The unnamed buyer is described as one of the world's largest commodity trading houses, a scale that signals growing institutional confidence in forward-market soil carbon supply. Under the agreement, Agreena plans to bring 1.6 million hectares (approximately 3.95 million acres) of Kazakhstan's northern grain belt under regenerative farming practices by 2028, with revenue from the deal structured to help farmers finance that transition.

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AgreenaCarbon Kazakhstan and Verra Validation

The project, named AgreenaCarbon Kazakhstan, is currently undergoing validation under Verra's Verified Carbon Standard using the VM0042 methodology for improved agricultural land management. It is Agreena's second project under Verra, following the AgreenaCarbon Project in Europe, which became the first large-scale agricultural cropland project registered under VM0042 in January 2025 and issued 2.3 million verified carbon units by September 2025.

Kazakhstan's northern grain belt is among Central Asia's most productive agricultural zones, but decades of conventional farming have taken a toll. Agreena says humus levels in the region have declined by an estimated 28 to 30 percent. The planned shift to regenerative practices includes reduced tillage, crop residue retention, and cover cropping. According to the company, reduced tillage alone can cut diesel consumption by 40 to 60 liters per hectare, while keeping residue on fields improves moisture retention in a region that receives roughly 300 to 450 millimeters of annual rainfall.

Why the Forward Structure Matters

The deal reflects a broader shift in voluntary carbon markets toward longer-term purchasing commitments. Buyers are increasingly willing to lock in future supply before credits are issued, particularly for high-integrity nature-based projects with credible measurement infrastructure.

Frederik Aagaard, Chief Commercial Officer at Agreena, pointed to the deal's structure as a sign of market maturation. "A seven-year agreement provides infrastructure, enabling farmers in Kazakhstan to change how they farm with an economic safety net," he said.

Aagaard also noted what the buyer's commitment signals about confidence in Agreena's delivery capacity. "A buyer of this scale only commits to those terms when it is confident the supply will be delivered," he said, citing the company's digital measurement, reporting and verification technology and the team behind it.

Agreena currently works with more than 2,500 farmers across approximately 5 million hectares in 20 markets, primarily across Europe. The Kazakhstan project extends that footprint into Central Asia for the first time at scale.

Biodiversity and Environmental Co-Benefits

Beyond carbon, the project is expected to reduce air pollution from stubble burning, a common practice in the region. The surrounding grasslands also provide habitat for threatened species, including the critically endangered Sociable Lapwing and the endangered Steppe Eagle. These biodiversity co-benefits are increasingly relevant to corporate buyers seeking credits that meet emerging quality benchmarks, including the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market's Core Carbon Principles, which Verra's VM0042 methodology was approved against in October 2025.

The Kazakhstan project still needs to complete validation before credits can be issued. But with a seven-year buyer already committed, Agreena has secured the demand-side anchor that many soil carbon projects have struggled to find.

About Agreena

Agreena is a Copenhagen-based climate solutions company running Europe's largest soil carbon program. It helps farmers transition to regenerative agriculture and enables companies to meet sustainability goals through high-integrity, Verra-verified carbon credits. Agreena uses AI-driven digital monitoring, reporting and verification technology to quantify soil carbon sequestration at scale. The company operates across 20 markets and works with more than 2,500 farmers covering approximately 5 million hectares.