Methodology
VM0051
Also known as: Improved Management in Rice Production Systems
TL;DR
Verra's rice-cultivation methodology active February 2025, replacing CDM AMS-III.AU with dual-gas CH4+N2O monitoring and AWD water management.
Full explainer
VM0051 is the Verified Carbon Standard methodology for crediting Improved Management in Rice Production Systems. It became active in February 2025 and is the consolidated successor to the CDM small-scale methodology AMS-III.AU, which Verra had carried over for rice projects.
The methodology requires dual-gas monitoring of both methane (CH4) — the dominant emission from flooded paddies — and nitrous oxide (N2O), which can rise as paddies are drained. Its centrepiece is Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) irrigation, where paddies are intermittently dried rather than continuously flooded, dramatically reducing methane while requiring careful N2O accounting. VM0051 is directly relevant to Indonesian wet-rice systems on Java and Sulawesi.