Building Markets for Water Stewardship: How Volumetric Water Benefit Accounting Enables Investment in Farmers
The outcomes of improved water quality and conservation are often considered secondary benefits of carbon projects or environmental remediation. But as water scarcity and pollution intensify across U.S. watersheds, it’s time to bring water stewardship to the forefront and reward the farmers driving impact on the ground.
Volumetric Water Benefit Accounting (VWBA) provides a powerful opportunity to do just that. This emerging framework offers a standardized way to measure, verify, and monetize the benefits of water stewardship practices, enabling companies to support tangible water outcomes while managing their own water-related risks.
A Market-Based Approach to Shared Water Challenges
Progress in quantifying water outcomes has lagged behind the carbon market. VWBA changes that by defining volumetric water benefits as measurable improvements in water availability, quality, access, and governance, relative to time and region, that help address shared water challenges. These can include:
- Reducing agricultural runoff
- Improving watershed health
- Enhancing drought resilience
- Increasing access to clean water
By linking these benefits to financial mechanisms, VWBA paves the way for investment in high-priority agricultural projects that improve water outcomes and compensates farmers for delivering them.
AgriCapture: Positioned to Scale Water Markets in Agriculture
MMRV tools like Remote Sensing confirm rice irrigation practices at a field level.
AgriCapture is ready to lead this transformation. With deep-rooted relationships with U.S. rice farmers and ranchers, localized knowledge, and robust Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) capabilities, our platform is uniquely positioned to:
- Quantify on-farm water benefits with integrity
- Design programs tailored to critical watersheds and high-risk regions
- Channel corporate investment into impactful water stewardship projects
Our MRV tools allow us to baseline and track water outcomes, transforming water stewardship from an environmental “nice-to-have” into a bankable asset for producers.
Scalable Water Programs Across AgriCapture’s Network
AgriCapture is already supporting agricultural water programs across the country, including:
- Rice irrigation system conversions that reduce water withdrawals
- Regenerative agriculture practices that boost soil moisture retention
- Irrigation automation technologies that increase water-use efficiency
- Biochar applications to retain field water and improve infiltration
- Riparian buffers that filter runoff and protect waterways on grazing lands
These practices generate measurable water outcomes that can be quantified and monetized through VWBA, helping cover the producers’ cost of adoption and implementation.
Unlocking Corporate Investment in Water Stewardship
AgriCapture Agronomist installs water sensor in an Arkansas rice field.
As companies face rising pressure to address water risks, whether physical, regulatory, or reputational, AgriCapture offers a turnkey solution to invest in agricultural water programs with transparency, credibility, and impact. Whether it’s launching new programs in water-stressed regions or scaling existing rice irrigation initiatives, we’re building the financial infrastructure to reward the farmers who are improving America’s water systems.
By connecting water outcomes to investment, AgriCapture is building a future where water stewardship isn’t just good for the planet, it’s a viable revenue stream for farmers.
Reach out to John Lanahan, AgriCapture’s Director of Demand to learn how AgriCapture can help you invest in water stewardship, support American farmers, and drive measurable impact where it matters most.
