Evolving Dynamics of the Voluntary Carbon Market in Agricultural Contexts: A Scoping Review

Background and Rationale: The Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM) has become a key mechanism for climate change mitigation by enabling entities to offset emissions through the purchase of carbon credits generated from greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction and removal activities. Agriculture, as both a major emitter and an important potential carbon sink, is central to VCM engagement. Agricultural carbon projects, such as soil carbon enhancement, agroforestry, methane reduction in rice farming, and improved land management offer opportunities for carbon sequestration, alongside potential livelihood and environmental co-benefits. However, concerns persist regarding equity, benefit-sharing, and participation of marginalized actors, including women, smallholder farmers, and Indigenous peoples. At the same time, questions remain regarding the sustainability and environmental integrity of agricultural VCM initiatives, including permanence, additionality, leakage, and robustness of MRV systems. Given the rapidly evolving nature of carbon markets and diverse evidence sources, there is a need to map the existing evidence base, identify knowledge gaps, and synthesize how equity and sustainability are conceptualized and assessed within agricultural VCM initiatives.