What Ecosystem Services Market Consortium does

Ecosystem Services Market Consortium (ESMC) is a U.S.-based non-profit, member-based consortium founded in May 2019 and operating as a stand-alone entity since 2021. ESMC's core function is to build and operate a voluntary ecosystem services market that pays farmers and ranchers for verified environmental outcomes—soil carbon, greenhouse gas reductions, water quality, and biodiversity—generated through regenerative agriculture practices. The consortium connects agricultural producers with corporate buyers (food manufacturers, retailers, and processors) through a co-investment and co-claiming model, while also serving ag retailers, conservation organizations, and financial institutions as member organizations.

The technical foundation is the EcoHarvest platform, which combines a producer-facing self-serve portal, field-level data integration (USDA CLU, AGI Farmobile machinery data), biogeochemical modeling through a partnership with HabiTerre's SYMFONI platform, and on-chain environmental asset registry infrastructure through MillPont's METI. The platform issues Impact Units—verified environmental assets representing quantified outcomes—that are sold to corporate buyers. In January 2026, ESMC launched a Carbon and Water Asset Platform extending EcoHarvest into a full registry and marketplace, and in April 2026 it launched BEAT (Biodiversity Estimation for Agriculture Tool), co-developed with Tetra Tech. ESMC's protocols were the first in North America to achieve full SustainCERT accreditation.

ESMC's revenue model is structured as a non-profit cost-recovery operation: a per-unit transaction fee on environmental-asset sales, recurring membership dues from 60+ member organizations, and pass-through payments from corporate buyers to producers. Enterprise corporate buyers include General Mills, Ahold Delhaize USA, Hormel Foods, and Target Corporation. By the end of 2025, ESMC targets advancing regenerative practices on over 70,000 acres in Kansas and Saskatchewan, Canada. Pricing to producers includes a $10/acre Year 1 enrollment incentive and annual practice payments (minimum $5/acre for Conservation Tillage).

Name

Ecosystem Services Market Consortium

Legal name

Ecosystem Services Market Consortium

Website

https://ecosystemservicesmarket.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ecosystem Services Market Consortium (ESMC) is a non-profit consortium that operates the EcoHarvest voluntary ecosystem services market, paying farmers for verified soil carbon, GHG, water quality, and biodiversity outcomes generated through regenerative agriculture, and selling verified Impact Units to corporate buyers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ecosystem Services Markets

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (541620), Timber Tract Operations (1131)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Cogeneration Services & Small Power Producers (4991)

akta.pro primary industry

Ecosystem Services & Natural Capital Assessment / Valuation (EUAHAHAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Carbon Auctions & Tender Management (Buyer/Seller Programs, RFPs) (EUABADAH), Environmental & Permitting Execution Services (Erosion Control, Habitat Mitigation, Compliance) (EUAEADAL), Ecosystem Services & Natural Capital Programs (Water, Biodiversity Credits, PES) (IMAMAJAK), ESG Reporting, Disclosure & Regulatory Compliance (SFDR, EU Taxonomy, TCFD/ISSB) (FSAAALAK)

Keywords

• Ecosystem services markets
• Carbon credit verification
• Regenerative agriculture
• Environmental asset registry
• MRV platform

Headquarters

HQ city

West Valley City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Transaction Fee (Per-Unit Cost Recovery): ESMC charges a per-unit cost recovery fee on the sale of verified carbon, water, and biodiversity assets to corporate buyers, allowing the non-profit to sustain operations at near-cost.
2. Membership Fees: Member organizations (60+) pay dues to participate in the consortium and access program benefits, including eligibility to co-invest in projects and co-claim outcomes.
3. Sale of Verified Environmental Assets: Corporate buyers purchase verified Scope 3 outcomes (carbon, water, biodiversity) generated from enrolled producer projects; proceeds are passed through to producers in the form of outcome-based payments.
4. Outcome-Based Payments from Buyers: Corporate buyers co-invest in and pay for verified regenerative agriculture outcomes rather than offsets, enabling producers to receive annual outcome-based payments tied to practice implementation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ecosystem Services Market Consortium (ESMC) operates the EcoHarvest program, a voluntary national ecosystem services market that connects farmers and ranchers adopting regenerative practices with corporate buyers seeking verified Scope 3 outcomes. The organization quantifies, verifies, and issues soil carbon, greenhouse gas, water quality, and biodiversity outcomes as Impact Units through a proprietary MRV framework, and brokers transactions between producers and corporate buyers via its Carbon and Water Assets Platform.

Product overview

ESMC delivers a single unified program, EcoHarvest, supported by a platform-plus-modules architecture rather than standalone products. The EcoHarvest Program is the flagship voluntary national market program; the EcoHarvest MRV Platform is the underlying measurement, reporting, and verification technology that integrates farm-level data and HabiTerre SYMFONI biogeochemical modeling; the Carbon and Water Assets Platform (launched January 2026) is the registry and marketplace module for issuing and trading verified assets; and BEAT (Biodiversity Estimation for Agriculture Tool, launched April 2026) is an add-on quantification module for biodiversity. Together these modules produce three asset types — Carbon Outcomes, Water Quality Outcomes, and Biodiversity Outcomes — which are issued as Impact Units to buyers, with all quantification governed by ESMC's science-based, third-party verified Protocols.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EcoHarvest: ESMC's flagship voluntary, national ecosystem services market program, launched in May 2022. EcoHarvest connects farmers with corporate partners to quantify and verify soil carbon, greenhouse gas, water quality, and biodiversity outcomes from regenerative agricultural practices, generating Scope 3 outcomes (Impact Units) for corporate buyers.

Products and services

• EcoHarvest Program ESMC's flagship voluntary national market program for agriculture-based ecosystem services. EcoHarvest provides science-based protocols, an MRV platform, and a registry for generating verified carbon, water quality, and biodiversity outcomes (Impact Units) from working agricultural lands, connecting farmers and ranchers with corporate partners seeking Scope 3 outcomes.
• EcoHarvest MRV Platform Underlying technology platform powering the EcoHarvest program. Integrates farm-level data, biogeochemical modeling (via HabiTerre SYMFONI), and AGI Farmobile machinery data to measure, monitor, report, and verify on-farm ecosystem outcomes including soil carbon, GHG, water quality, and biodiversity.
• Carbon and Water Assets Platform Unified platform for the issuance, registry, and marketplace trading of carbon and water environmental assets generated through ESMC's quantification protocols and EcoHarvest program, enabling corporate buyers to purchase verified, transferable assets.
• BEAT (Biodiversity Estimation for Agriculture Tool) Biodiversity quantification tool added to the EcoHarvest outcomes portfolio, built on the UK DEFRA Biodiversity Metric and adapted for North American agriculture in partnership with Tetra Tech. Enables estimation of biodiversity outcomes on agricultural lands to support biodiversity credits alongside carbon and water credits.
• Carbon Outcomes Verified carbon and greenhouse gas outcomes produced by agricultural operations participating in the EcoHarvest program, packaged as Impact Units for sale to corporate buyers seeking verified Scope 3 emissions reductions.
• Water Quality Outcomes Verified water quality outcomes produced by agricultural operations participating in the EcoHarvest program, issued as Impact Units for corporate buyers seeking supply chain water quality improvements.
• Biodiversity Outcomes Verified biodiversity outcomes produced by agricultural operations participating in the EcoHarvest program, supported by the BEAT quantification tool and issued as Impact Units for buyers seeking biodiversity credits.

Quantifiable outcome

• By end of 2025, advance regenerative agriculture management on over 70,000 acres of farmland in Kansas and Saskatchewan
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability3 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• HabiTerrecoreTechnology or IntegrationHabiTerre is ESMC's biogeochemical modeling partner. Its SYMFONI platform is integrated into ESMC's MRV framework to quantify field- and project-level carbon and GHG outcomes at scale.
• MillPont / METIcoreTechnology or IntegrationMillPont's METI environmental trust infrastructure is integrated with ESMC's MRV platform to register, issue, track, transfer, and retire verified environmental assets on-chain.
• Tetra TechcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTetra Tech is a technical partner collaborating with ESMC on biodiversity quantification, including co-development of the Biodiversity Estimation for Agriculture Tool (BEAT).
• SustainCERTcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSustainCERT serves as the third-party verification body for ESMC's Soil Health Outcomes program, granting full accreditation — the first in North America.
• General MillscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeneral Mills is a co-investor and corporate buyer participating in ESMC's verified outcomes program, helping fund regenerative agriculture projects and purchasing Scope 3 outcomes from its grain and ingredient supply chain.
• Ahold Delhaize USAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAhold Delhaize USA is a co-investor and corporate buyer working with ESMC to advance regenerative agriculture management on 70,000+ acres in Kansas and Saskatchewan, and to purchase verified Scope 3 outcomes.
• Ag Growth International (AGI)coreTechnology or IntegrationAGI is a technology partner providing data collection capabilities (e.g., ag retail and farm data) integrated with ESMC's MRV and project mapping infrastructure.
• National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNACD is a project partner supporting implementation and producer outreach in ESMC's Soil Health Demonstration Farm pilot in Kansas.
• Understanding AgcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerUnderstanding Ag is a project partner supporting producer outreach, training, and implementation of regenerative practices within ESMC's pilot projects.
• U.S. Cotton Trust ProtocolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol is a project partner collaborating with ESMC to deliver verified regenerative outcomes for U.S. cotton producers.
• Manulife Investment ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerManulife Investment Management is a project partner and financial backer supporting regenerative agriculture projects and outcomes.
• Cotton FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Cotton Foundation is a project partner collaborating on regenerative agriculture outcomes for the U.S. cotton sector.
• United Sorghum Checkoff ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe United Sorghum Checkoff Program is a project partner supporting regenerative agriculture projects with U.S. sorghum producers.
• Pheasants Forever and Quail ForevercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPheasants Forever and Quail Forever is a pilot partner collaborating with ESMC on regenerative agriculture and biodiversity outcomes in working-lands pilots.
• Keystone Policy Center / ACMCmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKeystone Policy Center and the Agricultural Conservation Market Cooperative (ACMC) are industry collaborative partners that helped develop ESMC and the broader ecosystem services market framework.
• Climate Action Reserve (CAR)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerClimate Action Reserve serves as a validation/verification partner in ESMC's MRV framework for soil carbon and ecosystem services outcomes.
• Nutrien Ag SolutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNutrien Ag Solutions is a pilot funder and ag retail partner supporting regenerative agriculture projects and producer enrollment.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• CIBO Technologies: CIBO Technologies runs a scalable ag carbon and Scope 3 platform that models soil carbon outcomes at field scale and connects growers to corporate buyers. Comparable to ESMC's MRV-plus-marketplace model, with similar emphasis on remote sensing and biogeochemical modeling to monetize regenerative agriculture outcomes.
• TruTerra: TruTerra (formerly TruCarbon, part of Land O'Lakes/WinField United) connects farmers to a carbon program and sells verified credits to corporate buyers via the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund. Comparable to ESMC in targeting ag-retail-driven enrollment and food-company demand for verified Scope 3 outcomes.
• Nori: Nori is a blockchain-based carbon removal marketplace that issues and trades verified agricultural soil carbon credits to corporate buyers. Comparable to ESMC's marketplace and on-chain registry ambitions (via MillPont/METI), focused on the same regenerative agriculture supply and corporate Scope 3 demand.
• Soil and Water Outcomes Fund: Soil and Water Outcomes Fund pays farmers per-acre for verified soil carbon, water quality, and water quantity outcomes, then sells those outcomes to corporate buyers. Closely comparable to ESMC's per-acre incentive payments and verified-asset marketplace, but operates as a fund/revenue-share vehicle rather than a multi-stakeholder consortium.
• Indigo Ag: Indigo Ag operates Carbon by Indigo, a major agricultural carbon program paying farmers for regenerative practice adoption and selling verified credits to corporate buyers. Directly comparable to ESMC's EcoHarvest in product, buyer base (food/retail corporates), and revenue model, but operates as a for-profit venture rather than a non-profit consortium.

Others

• Verra: Verra is the largest voluntary carbon credit standards body (VCS Program), setting protocols and registries for issuing carbon credits including those from agriculture. Comparable to ESMC's role as a program/protocol developer, but Verra is an enabling standard-setter rather than a direct competitor in farmer enrollment or credit sales.
• Soil Health Institute: Soil Health Institute is a non-profit research organization advancing soil health science, measurement, and adoption in U.S. agriculture. Comparable to ESMC's research arm (ESMRC) and its science-based quantification protocols, but focused on research and education rather than operating a marketplace.

Regional players

• Agreena: Agreena runs one of Europe's largest agricultural carbon programs, issuing verified soil carbon certificates to farmers and selling them to corporate buyers. Comparable to ESMC's verified-asset model and per-acre payment structure, but focused on the EU/UK rather than the U.S./Canada.

Broad incumbents

• Bayer Carbon Program: Bayer's Carbon Program (via Climate FieldView) enrolls growers and pays them for sequestered carbon using Bayer's digital ag platform. Comparable to ESMC in MRV-led ag carbon, but Bayer is a much larger incumbent offering the program as part of a broader crop-input and digital-agriculture portfolio.
• Cargill RegenConnect: Cargill's RegenConnect program pays farmers for regenerative practices and connects supply to corporate Scope 3 buyers. Comparable to ESMC's co-investment / co-claiming model with food-company buyers, but operated by Cargill as one of several sustainability initiatives within a global agribusiness.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=m1Sj2CGBn3k
• Facebookfacebook.com/Ecosystem-Services-Market-Consortium-102849428360893
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ecosystemservicesmarketconsortium

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ecosystem Services Market Consortium