Forest carbon credit is one of the most popular forms of nature-based solutions (NbS) for climate change. Essentially, countries pay other countries to leave their forests untouched, and the protected trees reduce carbon dioxide emissions and provide biodiversity benefits. In theory, it’s a win-win for all.

But implementing it?

“We have this issue of how to monitor what’s happening,” Jon Pierre says. How do we know what’s actually taking place? Are we taking [landowners’] word for it?”

Luckily, Jon has the solution.

Jon is the Chief Business Officer (CBO) of Mantle Labs, a London-based start-up using satellite imagery and artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor agricultural conditions like soil moisture and human activities. By closely monitoring the land, Mantle Labs’ clients—from banks to tech companies—can get a head’s up on projected crop yields and soil conditions.

As global agricultural vegetation is closely monitored, any changes to the land are detected. Information about land use shifts can be used to ensure that NbS commitments are being met. Satellite imagery presents an innovative solution to the monitoring and verification issues that NbS projects traditionally face.

Jon hasn’t always been working in the tech and climate space. A native of Trinidad, Jon pursued his interest in development through the Master’s program in Economics for Development at the University of Oxford. He then spent a decade in finance working for banks and hedge funds as an agricultural crop commodities trader.

Working with a group using AI for crop modeling piqued his interest in technology’s role in agriculture. A contact recommended he reach out to Mantle Labs. Though he had originally reached out to the startup as a customer, he ended up joining the team.

Mantle Labs’ clients receive information about the condition of their land based on satellite imagery. This information can be used by landowners to make informed decisions. Source: Mantle Labs

Another big issue for NbS projects is funding. From Google’s reforestation efforts in the U.S. and Australia to Apple’s partnerships with environmental organizations to manage over 1 million acres of forests, it’s easy to see that the corporate world is catching on to the potential of NbS. While Jon couldn’t disclose specific client names, big tech companies that need to meet their sustainability commitments are approaching Mantle Labs looking for ways to integrate NbS into their operations. Satellite imagery opens the door for any company to leverage its private finance in support of NbS

Farmers especially benefit from satellite imagery. Satellite imagery plays a role in precision agriculture, the practice of using data related to weather, soil, and water conditions to make informed decisions. Working with Mantle Labs, farmers can access a digital platform with reports and charts of all sorts of land condition indicators, such as crop stress conditions. Access to this knowledge allows farmers to make more better, more informed decisions.

Though Mantle Labs’ service can have a high up-front cost, Jon believes it’s all worth it. “Being more targeted with irrigation and different interventions—thereby being more efficient with your resource usage, being less wasteful, and incurring less cost as a farmer—that’s a huge component where satellite imagery plays a role,” Jon says.

Helping farmers adopt sustainable farming practices supports progress towards addressing climate change and promoting biodiversity. It also promotes economic development – something that’s important to Jon given his Trinidadian roots and background in economics.

With his background in finance and developmental ecoomics, Jon couldn’t have anticipated that he’d be working in agritech. But oddly enough, working with a tech company on its NbS projects has allowed Jon’s interests to come full circle. Much of development work today involves engaging with farmers, who make up more than a quarter of the world’s population. It’s important that more people are finding this link between smallholder agriculture, addressing climate change, and achieving sustainable development goals, Jon says.