check it out! - A SNEAK PEEK BEHIND THE SCENES OF OUR BIOCHAR PRODUCTION
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We were grateful to be invited to give the first keynote at the inaugural bioenergy track of the annual Asia Clean Energy Summit.
We shared our experience of practical pathways to scale Southeast Asia’s role in global decarbonization through inclusive, circular bioeconomy models grounded in our region's understanding of Gotong Royong - mutual aid and friendship.
In Arukah's experience, abundant agricultural biomass can be harnessed effectively to cut emissions and advance inclusive growth, without compromising food security. We also had the opportunity to share how our proprietary AI and computer vision-enabled digital tracking enables high-integrity verification and access to global markets, including a first in market computer vision tracking system for biochar plants.
Arukah's core focus on poverty alleviation, with a first in market 50% carbon revenue share to farmers for investment grade biochar and biogas projects has unlocked both policy support and reliable biomass supply - and increasingly global partnerships.
Our conviction is the SE Asian, Gotong Royong approach will be key to unlocking the circular bioeconomy at scale - watch this space!
Thank you to the organisers and the very expert audience for an engaging dialogue.
And if this model resonates with you as a buyer, financier or agribusiness / cooperative, please do reach out to explore collaboration at pathbreakers@arukahcapital.com.
Arukah was grateful for the opportunity to be one of 5 external speakers making a statement to the 6 agriculture ministers and delegations at this event organised every 5 years - alongside the World Bank, Food and Agriculture Organisation, World Food Programme, and the Mekong Institute.
Agrifood systems in the GMS and the Global South face two key challenges: improving productivity and addressing climate change - both reducing the impact of agrifood systems on the climate, and reducing the vulnerability of agrifood systems to climate change.
Borrowing from the language of our hosts - the word for challenge – 危机 – captures that in every challenge there is an opportunity. While often overlooked, farmers are essential partners in the global climate transition.
We encouraged broad support across the GMS for Biochar at Scale as an immediate solution to divert burning, increase carbon sequestration, and improve farming yields and farmer incomes.
We are grateful to the organisers the Asian Development Bank for the opportunity to participate in these formal proceedings establishing the 2030 Kunming Strategic Framework, and for the positive feedback from the various ministers and delegations. We look forward to more partnerships and policy support for our model that unlocks high integrity climate action and underfinanced food security at scale by alleviating poverty directly from carbon markets as a new source of financing for agrifood systems.
Organised by Puro.earth in partnership with the Carbon Business Council, the APAC CDR Summit 2025 brought together key voices shaping the future of carbon removal across the region.
We were grateful to be spotlighted by Puro, a Nasdaq subsidiary and leading carbon removal registry globally, on the Biochar Breakthroughs panel, moderated by Ms YingYing Chen from Standard Chartered, alongside fellow innovators and practitioners working at the frontier of durable CDR.
We discussed some of the unique challenges to scaling biochar projects (not least logistics), and also the pivotal role of Asia in scaling carbon removal—thanks to its abundant land, biomass potential, and climate innovation, especially in high-impact communities like those we work with in India and Cambodia.
Arukah also had the opportunity to share our high co-benefits model, focused on a 50% income share to participating smallholders, and scalable use of biochar for farming yield improvement. Other panelists shared promising emerging uses for built environments, including green steel. Throughout we also agreed on the critical role of high integrity MRV for building trust in global markets for project quality - including digital MRV, which is a key focus for Arukah.
Thank you to the organizers and all participants for the meaningful exchange - we are looking forward to scaling the next Gigaton from Asia together.
In late March, Arukah and our local partners in Cambodia had the opportunity to host a World Bank delegation to our biochar plant, the largest in Southeast Asia.
We had the opportunity to share our vision for biochar at scale, and discuss how our innovative and inclusive business model unlocks critical capital not only for large scale climate mitigation but also new incomes for climate adaptation, via allocating a 50% gross share of carbon credit income to participating smallholder farmers.
Our initiative is well aligned with Cambodia’s current national priorities across carbon sequestration, improved farming productivity for food security, improved economic livelihoods for farmers, additional income streams for value-add processing (mill-level), and improved air quality via diverting agriculture waste burning. And Cambodia’s large agriculture production, coupled with strong digital infrastructure for sensor-based tracking and smart systems, and digital payments all the way upstream to farmers, are key enablers for biochar at scale.
Unlocking new pathways to economic livelihoods will be increasingly critical in the coming years. Without interventions and enabling innovations, the World Bank estimates a 800 million job deficit in the Global South for fresh graduates in the coming decade.
Agriculture-rich nations in the Global South also are recovering from 2 rounds of fertiliser supply chain dislocations due to Covid-19, and then the Russia-Ukraine war.
With our local partner Soma —a pioneer and leader in Cambodia for regenerative and sustainable agriculture— Arukah has deep alignment: From the willingness to be first adopter of promising innovations that can establish foundations for large scale systems improvement, to our commitment to best in class, institutional project design and structuring, and our shared focus on improving the economic livelihoods of farmers via scalable market access.
Our project also features domestic production of equipment by a local advanced manufacturer, Quantum. This will unlock additional pathways to economic livelihoods in Cambodia, via growing the demand for skilled advanced engineering work for local graduates - a model that could be replicated over time in more agriculture-rich emerging economies.
We are early in our journey still, but are grateful for the trust placed in us by our partners, and also new partners to come across global carbon credit buyers and project financiers - aligned to our vision of unlocking economic livehoods and flourishing from the Global South with resources that global challenges need.
We look forward to the growth that will be unlocked in the years to come from harnessing the strengths of our region in agriculture resources and know-how, bottom-up Global South innovation and willingness to adopt best in class solutions, along with our global network, building from Singapore’s deep capital markets, and reach into global finance and cutting edge innovation.
In celebration of SG60, we reflect on an impactful first half of 2025 —
1) Opening and operating the largest biochar plant in Southeast Asia - recently assigned an AA-BBB estimated rating by Sylvera;
2) Securing a global first approval from Gold Standard for digital MRV in household biogas, for our first in market model of paying farmers directly for digitally verified activities - to date unlocking 2.5-4.5x emissions impact compared to farmers in a control village;
3) Closing first time credit purchases by leading global and regional companies - some exciting announcements to come!
We are grateful for everyone's trust and support for our audacious dream to scale climate action via poverty alleviation, and we look forward to continuing to build with likeminded collaborators, farmers and friends. The best is yet to come!
Arukah was spotlighted as a top 5 durable carbon removal (CDR) supplier in CDR.fyi’s Q1 2025 market update.
Currently, biomass-based solutions like biochar account for 99% of all CDR deliveries.
While Asia is relatively later to this segment; driving only 1% of 2024 transactions - we think 2025 is an inflection point: On the ground we are seeing growing supply and demand year to date - we are excited to be part of the contributions of our region in 2025 and beyond!
We were grateful to join a lively discussion on the power of data to scale high integrity impact in long tail markets at the inaugural FeiFest - jointly organised by the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI), the Stanford Club of Singapore, with support from PeakXV and GFTN, around a visit by Fei Fei Li, the godmother of AI and a co-director of Stanford HAI.
Together with Stanford professor and co-director of Stanford HAI James Landay, a leading global expert in human-computer interactions, and fellow Southeast Asian founder Stephanie Sy, our CEO Joanna Yeo participated in a dynamic discussion on how a human centred approach is critical to scaling effective AI and ML solutions for long tail impact in underserved markets.
We are proud to be part of an ecosystem that is pioneering advancements and thoughtfully addressing the complexities of developing and implementing game-changing innovations like large language models and generative AI, in a way that empowers and augments human potential - from at-home caregivers to microlending loan officers and farmers in emerging markets.
Beyond well-known climate challenges, the World Bank projects a significant job shortage of 800 million for new graduates in the Global South within the next ten years. The development and direction of transformative fields like generative AI at this early stage will have critical, long-lasting effects on the environment, social mobility, and political stability for generations.
At Arukah, we're building structured datasets from the ground up to capture the otherwise manual activities of farmers and agribusinesses in last-mile agricultural supply chains, including a first in market spatial AI dataset for biochar, and a first in market farmer-level dMRV and payments dataset for household biogas.
We are now testing ML and computer vision models for first in market performance management and risk assessment systems in last mile agriculture - watch this space!
If you are an AI / ML researcher and would like to collaborate on model fitting for our novel datasets, please do reach out at pathbreakers@arukahcapital.com.
Hosted by the ADB, Arukah shared alongside representatives from Mitsubishi, Pollination, the Global Green Growth Institute, and leading researchers.
We shared our experience leveraging carbon markets to unlock climate finance for smallholder farmers - and the critical role of business models that align incentives, and digital tracking for scaling with integrity and affordability.
We were delighted to join the inaugural Asia Impact Forum organised by the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN).
On panel with Accion Venture Lab and AquaExchange Agritech, we had an action oriented discussion focused on measurable outcomes and practical solutions for scaling earnings for smallholders - with both farmer-centric business model design to unlock sustained behavior change, and pragmatic sequencing of products for commercial financeability.
Arukah had the opportunity to share our experience with digital tracking as an enabler for scalability, building trust in project integrity, and also how our commitment to a 50% gross carbon revenue share to participating farmers can unlock both better performance (5x paid vs. unpaid in biogas example in a global first dMRV pilot with Gold Standard) and scale (biochar partnerships underway).
Arukah's focus on poverty alleviation as a catalyst for high integrity, sustainable climate action was spotlighted in Boston Consulting Group’s report, Unlocking the Full Potential in Carbon Markets: Pathways to Growth and Sustainability in Asia, building from the inaugural Green Circle Climate Forum.
Arukah is proud and grateful to be featured alongside global leaders including Climeworks, Macrocarbon, Puro.earth, Terraformation and Carbon Negative Shot, who each present unique solutions to overcome barriers and unlock opportunities in the market.
We are grateful for this recognition and support for Arukah’s commitment to pioneering high-quality carbon removal projects that sustainably scale climate impact by creating tangible, long-term financial opportunities for smallholder farmers in the Global South.
Arukah's Biochar at Scale model has been highlighted in a publication on Promoting Private Sector Investment for Agri-food Value Chain Transformation in the GMS - as a practical example of how private climate finance can transform agri‑food value chains while improving smallholder livelihoods.
We are grateful for the recognition of our model by the Asian Development Bank and the GMS Working Group on Agriculture, including the 6 member countries, and the technical assistance facility team.
Across the Greater Mekong Subregion, millions of tonnes of rice husks and other crop residues are still burned in the open every year. This practice releases carbon and particulate pollution, while leaving farmers exposed to volatile fertiliser costs and increasingly unpredictable weather.
The GMS case study highlights Arukah's inclusive revenue‑sharing model as a practical example of how carbon markets can be structured to align incentives for farmers, mills, and financiers, rather than treating farmers as incidental beneficiaries. In Cambodia, Arukah has commissioned Southeast Asia’s largest biochar plant together with local partners, transforming agricultural by‑products into durable carbon removal and climate‑smart fertiliser. By allocating 50% of gross carbon credit revenues to participating smallholder farmers, the project layers a new digital income stream on top of existing agriculture, turning residues that used to be burned into an asset for rural households.
Under the hood, Arukah’s approach combines bankable industrial infrastructure with a fully digital measurement, reporting and verification (dMRV) stack. IoT sensors, computer vision, and integrated payment rails track biomass from field to kiln to farm, underpinning high‑integrity credits and enabling direct payouts to farmers at scale. For governments and development partners, this creates a new channel for private climate capital to flow into priority outcomes: reduced air pollution from avoided burning, improved soil health and yields, new skilled jobs in domestic equipment manufacturing, and greater resilience in agrifood value chains across the GMS.
We are continuing to scale our systems level solution and welcome more partnerships with agribusinesses, cooperatives, financiers and policymakers who share a common ambition: to build a future where climate mitigation, farmer incomes, and food security in the Global South grow together, powered by technology and the underused resources already in our fields.
To learn more or collaborate, please reach out at pathbreakers@arukahcapital.com.
We are grateful and honoured to have won the Sustainable Agriculture track at the Climate Impact Innovations Challenge (CIIC), part of the Indonesia International Sustainability Forum 2025, supported by Kementerian LHK.
This is an encouraging regional endorsement for scaling biochar with Arukah's model, which anchors decarbonization and poverty alleviation as complements - transforming agricultural waste into biochar while enabling farmers to earn 50% of carbon credit revenue. This dual approach builds sustainable income for rural communities and delivers high-quality decarbonization at scale from agrifood systems.
With strong local partners, supportive policy conditions, and catalytic support from East Ventures, Temasek Foundation, and Sinar Mas Agribusiness’s US$50,000 grant, we look forward to scaling our inclusive biochar model that drives both climate and social impact in Indonesia.
We are grateful to have shared Arukah’s vision at the 6th World Congress on Agroforestry in Kigali, Rwanda — the first time the Congress was hosted in Africa. Our appreciation to HE Dr. Bernadette Arakwiye and Dr. Eliane Ubalijoro for the invitation and leadership in advancing high-integrity climate action from the Global South.
Our model anchors climate action, circular bioeconomy development, and livelihood uplift as complements. Farmers working with agroforestry partners like One Acre Fund are already seeing 8–10x income gains from fruit and nut trees compared to traditional cash crops. With emerging carbon market access, Arukah commits 50% of carbon revenue to farmers — reinforcing that climate prosperity must be shared at the roots.
We also see a critical role for “translators” who can bridge science, field practice, and global capital. With over USD 1 trillion in sustainable finance seeking credible deployment, blended finance and catalytic partnerships are essential to scale agroforestry. Rwanda, like Singapore, is poised to be a hub for the global bioeconomy — small in geography, but bold in ambition and global collaboration.
We look forward to building these friendships and partnerships — because big dreams are made real together. 🌍
With livelihoods at the heart of our model, Arukah leverages digital MRV, biometric ID systems, and licensed digital payment infrastructure to ensure transparency, traceability, and trust. This foundation uniquely positions us to unlock large scale, high integrity, nature-based climate mitigation from the Global South, while supporting the development of more resilient, inclusive, and community-driven food systems.
At the annual Future Food Asia forum organised by ID Capital partnering with IFC, A*Star, and leading industry players like Adisseo and Buhler, Arukah was grateful for the opportunity to share on a dMRV panel our approach and findings to date on the critical importance of aligning climate action with farmer incentives to deliver high integrity climate mitigation at scale.
Arukah’s insight and conviction is farmers are not incidental beneficiaries but instead core agents to scale and sustain change in our region’s agrifood systems.
Designing and scaling large scale systems change will require situating and incentivising them as such. At Arukah, enabled by our integrated end-to-end dMRV platform — currently the only dMRV approved globally by Gold Standard for biogas — we channel 50% of carbon credit revenue directly to farmers for verified project participation.
We shared key findings from our project in household scale biogas production from livestock manure - namely, a measurable increase in motivation and participation when farmers can earn payments in proportion to their activities.
For instance, in A/B tests run in India since 2H24, we fully metered all digesters and all aspects of the project were similar except for farmer-level payments. Based on our initial findings, farmers in villages with no payments for verified biogas processing dropped off usage significantly over time. In contrast, usage is sustained and even increased over time where farmers are paid for verified processing.
This demonstrates that tangible and equitable economic incentives are critical to sustaining and scaling farmer action at scale.
We enjoyed the rich discussion with fellow panelists and conference participants, and we look forward to many fruitful collaborations to come. Please do reach out to us if you share our vision and would like to partner as a carbon credit buyer or project financier.
Our CEO has recently joined two impactful initiatives by the the IFC and UN Women to lift female climate entrepreneurs in Southeast Asia:
1) Mentor, Southeast Asia 2025-26, for She Wins Climate, the World Bank IFC's flagship program to accelerate female-led startups in climate tech.
2) Panelist at SE Asia Climate Investing, part of the UN Women Climate Tech Accelerator 2025 by SheLovesTech, discussing the future of climate-focused investments.
We were honored to be invited by Hitachi to serve on the distinguished judging panel for their inaugural Green Fintech Hackathon, launched at the Japan Fintech Festival 2025.
Hitachi plays a pivotal role as a catalyst for digital transformation and innovation across Japan—from IoT integration in buildings to mission-critical banking systems. As Japan advances its carbon markets and green finance initiatives, especially with the upcoming compulsory GX ETS carbon market starting April 2026, Hitachi is set to become an increasingly vital hub in global green finance flows and digital traceability.
At Arukah, we congratulate the winners and are delighted to have had the privilege to contribute to Hitachi's new anchor investment to nurture and collaborate with the emerging climate ecosystem worldwide—poised to increasingly intersect with Japanese corporates and financial markets in the coming years. Watch this space!
Hosted by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Arukah was invited to participate in a regional workshop to share insights on our approach to carbon markets as a scalable source of climate financing in agriculture - enabled by digital tracking, as well as our biochar plans across the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS).
We are grateful for a rich set of discussions and next step partnerships, and look forward to contributing at scale to the post-processing traceability of agriculture supply chains across our region.
In our presentation, we shared the immediate and measurable impact of our project design across decarbonisation, food security and poverty alleviation. And in a vibrant post-presentation discussion some key items were discussed that are both barriers in scaling biochar in the GMS, as well as scalable business opportunities -
First, there are limited regional lab testing capabilities, despite the deep technical expertise in our region.
Second, biochar fertiliser standards and know how are currently not widespread beyond specific markets, but member countries in the GMS have so far been very open and willing to share.
Finally, Arukah shared our approach of absorbing upfront costs at the high risk phase of the project to partner with groups that are new to this space, as long as they are open to our inclusive business model featuring a 50% gross carbon revenue share to farmers. While buyer-focused project design and high frequency digitalised MRV can unlock more purchasing to our region - the entry barriers of minimum scale and upfront costs remain significant. We discussed our approach, and also continue to welcome new partners - please do reach out if this is an area of interest!
Arukah also joined Workshop 3: Fostering Market Integrity, Liquidity, and Efficiency - moderated by a Stanford fellow, alongside large buyers and traditional financiers including banks, the CaptureNow durability trust, and global climate VCs Lowercarbon Capital and Carbon Removal Partners.
We shared our experience with leveraging high quality Carbon Removal (and carbon markets more broadly) as a critical source of financing for food and Global South agriculture. We also discussed how Arukah's equitable income share model is rapidly unlocking regulatory support.
Arukah joined Workshop 1 of the Inaugural Green Circle Summit alongside Climeworks (Swiss Direct Air Capture company), Isometric (buyer-led registry) and BCG at the Elevandi Insights Forum: Generating High Quality Credits through Verified Abatement and Removals.
We were proud to represent emerging high quality carbon removal projects from the Global South that are a critical component of scaling Carbon Removal immediately and cost effectively.
At the Asia Premiere of Legion 44 - a Film and Global Movement about the rise of Carbon Removal, Arukah was delighted to have the opportunity to join a post-screening panel alongside global CDR pioneers.
Whereas CDR to date has been largely anchored in the Global North and outside of Asia - We had the opportunity to discuss the rapid emergence of high quality carbon removal solutions that are immediately scalable from the rich agriculture lands of Asia and the Global South, and to share how the comparative advantages of these markets can be a critical component to global progress on CDR adoption and scalability.
Arukah joined a discussion moderated by the IPCC Lead Author on mitigation, along with a fellow founder in the biofuels space.
We shared about the power of high quality, verifiable and interoperable data to unlock Green Finance for Sustainable Development - and discussed how a Cambrian shift in access to finance is quickly emerging with new, structured and standardised data across a range of sectors from built environments (real estate) to biofuels and last-mile rural agriculture.
