Regenerative agriculture | Ukraine

Seeds of Recovery

Recovery, from the ground up.

2,000,000+ tCO2eproject impact goal

LocationSumy, Chernihiv and Poltava oblasts, Ukraine

Project typeRegenerative agriculture and soil carbon

Initial pilot12,407 hectares across 87 fields

Full-scale potentialMore than one million hectares

Estimated impactAbout 609,800 tCO2e annual average at full scale

PartnersKernel, Druzhba-Nova ALLC, Regrow and Seqana

Standard

Verra VCS v4.7 | VM0042 v2.2 (ICVCM approved, CCP eligible) | VMD0053 v2.1

SDGs

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

The project

Rebuilding Ukraine's soils, one field at a time

Seeds of Recovery is a grouped regenerative agriculture programme developed with Kernel and operated on the ground through Druzhba-Nova ALLC. It starts with an initial 12,407-hectare pilot across 87 fields and is structured to scale across more than one million hectares of Ukrainian farmland.

Field activity is recorded through Kernel's DigitalAgriBusiness platform. Carbon outcomes are quantified using the DNDC process-based model operated by Regrow and anchored to direct soil measurements from a 1,469-point baseline sampling campaign stratified by Seqana. This combination of farm data, modelling and field measurement creates a transparent basis for monitoring changes in soil carbon and agricultural emissions.

The programme connects agricultural recovery with measurable environmental outcomes. Participating producers gain access to carbon finance while adopting practices that can strengthen soil health, improve water retention and reduce dependence on synthetic inputs. Fields near active frontlines or areas presenting unacceptable military risk are excluded, while land returned through humanitarian demining can be assessed for future participation.

Sentinel Earth field visit for Seeds of Recovery in Ukraine

Sentinel Earth team at Kernel's laboratory in Ukraine

Sentinel Earth and partners discussing the Seeds of Recovery programme

Project outcomes

What changes on the ground.

Soil carbon

Improved agricultural management is designed to build carbon stocks in Ukraine's productive Chernozem soils.

Farm resilience

Cover, reduced disturbance and improved rotations can support water retention, drought tolerance and yield stability.

Producer economics

Carbon revenue creates an additional income stream connected to measured environmental performance.

Lower input emissions

Reduced synthetic fertiliser intensity can lower associated nitrous oxide emissions.

Land recovery

Eligible conflict-affected land can return to productive agriculture following safe clearance and assessment.

Transparency and compliance

Registration, claims and grievances

Published in line with the Verified Carbon Standard and updated with each monitoring report.

Verra registration

Programme: Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), Verra
Project ID: 5376 · View on the Verra Registry
Project title: Seeds of Recovery: The Ukrainian Regenerative Agriculture & Carbon Removal Program
Project Proponent: Sentinel Earth AG, Zug, Switzerland
Implementation partner: Druzhba-Nova ALLC (Kernel Holding S.A.), Ukraine
Methodology: VM0042 v2.2 Improved Agricultural Land Management, with module VMD0053 v2.1
Status: Under validation
Project documents: Project Description, Monitoring Report and audit reports are published on the Verra Registry page above.

Scope 3 statement

Sentinel Earth AG is the Project Proponent of "Seeds of Recovery: The Ukrainian Regenerative Agriculture & Carbon Removal Program", registered under the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) as project 5376. The project implements cover cropping, conservation tillage and improved nitrogen management on croplands in Ukraine operated by Druzhba-Nova ALLC, a subsidiary of Kernel Holding S.A. These practices change the emissions footprint of the crops produced on the enrolled fields. In accordance with VCS Standard v4.7, Section 3.24.7, we make the following public statement:

Public statement

Carbon credits may be issued through Verified Carbon Standard project 5376 for the greenhouse gas emission reductions or removals associated with Sentinel Earth AG agricultural crops, corn (maize), sunflower, winter wheat and soybean, produced on the fields enrolled in the project "Seeds of Recovery: The Ukrainian Regenerative Agriculture & Carbon Removal Program" in Ukraine.

Buyers of these crops should not claim the corresponding greenhouse gas emission reductions or removals in their own Scope 3 inventories where Verified Carbon Units (VCUs) have been or may be issued for them under VCS project 5376. Project documents are available on the Verra Registry (project 5376).

Statement published on 16 September 2026.

Feedback and grievance mechanism

Sentinel Earth AG, as Project Proponent of "Seeds of Recovery: The Ukrainian Regenerative Agriculture & Carbon Removal Program" (VCS project 5376), and Kernel Holding S.A., through its subsidiary Druzhba-Nova ALLC as implementation partner, welcome questions, feedback and grievances from anyone affected by or interested in the project: landowners and lessors, local communities, employees and contractors, local authorities and civil-society organisations.

How to reach us

You may contact us at any time, confidentially or anonymously, through any of the following channels:

E-mailseedsofrecovery@sentinelearth.com
Kernel hotline0 800 501 483 (free of charge within Ukraine)
E-mailsustainability@kernel.ua
In personLocal Kernel project managers in the project hromadas

Submissions may be made in Ukrainian or English.

What happens next

Every submission receives a unique case number and a formal acknowledgement within 10 working days. Grievances are investigated by Kernel's Compliance and Sustainability Departments together with Sentinel Earth AG, and we seek an amicable resolution through dialogue, with a written response, within 30 working days wherever feasible (Stage 1). Grievances that cannot be resolved amicably are referred to mediation by an independent third party (Stage 2). Grievances not resolved through mediation may be submitted to arbitration or to the competent courts, without prejudice to the right to approach any competent supranational body (Stage 3).

Transparency

All grievances, the actions taken and their resolution are recorded in the project's Stakeholder Feedback and Grievance Register. A summary of grievances received and resolved, without personal data, is published below and updated with each monitoring report, in line with VCS Standard v4.7, Section 3.18.4. The full register is made available to the validation/verification body at each verification.

Summary of grievances received and resolved

No grievances have been received to date (status as of 16 September 2026).

Last updated: 16 September 2026.

Buyer fit

Corporate buyers seeking large-scale agricultural removals backed by primary field data, direct soil measurement and a pathway to scale across Ukraine.

Availability

Forward contracting opportunities are available, subject to validation, verification and issuance milestones.

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