Three pilots. One methodology. Zero overhead skim.
What if every tonne of carbon paid out at issuance — not after broker cycles? We've begun early exploration with communities across three pilot landscapes in Malawi (forest carbon, community mini-grids, agroforestry), each shaped around a single principle: the community holds the carbon, the revenue, and the data.
Exploration areas
Where we're starting.
These are the three landscapes we're exploring first — through early conversations and groundwork with the communities who'd hold the carbon. Regions and approaches below reflect where that exploration is focused, not finished projects.
Forest carbon
Exploring community-managed afforestation and avoided-deforestation on customary land — with carbon rights retained by village trusts.
Community mini-grids
Exploring solar mini-grids as a foundation for rural livelihoods — powering agro-processing, cold chain, irrigation, and women- and youth-led enterprise while displacing diesel and charcoal. Energy access and income, packaged as one Green Rural Enterprise Hub.
Agroforestry
Exploring smallholder agroforestry — fertiliser trees, fruit, and timber rotations — that builds soil carbon while raising farm income.
Watch this space
A pilot timeline, not a promise reel.
Foundations
Legal vehicle stood up. Methodology drafted. Community committees formed in pilot landscapes.
First MRV cycle
Baselines established. Third-party validator engaged. First monitoring data published.
Pilot issuance
First batch of verified credits issued under the GreenKwacha methodology. Revenue split paid to communities.
Scale-up
Expand from one landscape to three. Onboard partner buyers. Open the methodology for third-party use.
Methodology
Four steps we won't skip.
Community consent first
Carbon rights confirmed with village committees in writing before any project enters MRV.
Baselines, not estimates
Real measurement of land cover, fuel use, and household conditions before issuance.
Open MRV
Monitoring data and methodology published openly — auditable by communities, buyers, and third parties.
Revenue at issuance
Community share paid at issuance, not at sale. No waiting on broker cycles.
Consent first — in practice
We confirm rights with the people on the land first.
Step 01 isn't a slogan. In May 2026 we sat with chiefs, district forestry officers, and farmers across Chikwawa and Nsanje — in writing, in English and Chichewa — before anything enters MRV. Their clearest, most repeated ask was a transparent benefit-sharing mechanism. It's the principle this methodology is built on.
Read what the communities told us