This document sets out the V1.0 Rating framework logic for the Alternate Wetting & Drying (AWD) project type.
Alternate Wetting & Drying (AWD) projects reduce methane emissions from irrigated rice by periodically draining flooded paddies during the growing season instead of keeping them continuously flooded. Continuous flooding creates the anaerobic soil conditions in which bacteria generate methane (CH4); introducing dry-down periods reintroduces oxygen and suppresses methane formation while maintaining rice yields.
Credits are generated from the difference between methane emitted under a continuously flooded baseline and the project’s intermittently flooded water regime.
Sylvera assesses AWD projects across four pillars — Carbon Accounting, Additionality, Permanence, and Safeguarding & Co-Benefits. The first three combine into an overall Rating Grade from AAA to D; Safeguarding & Co-Benefits is reported alongside but not folded into the grade.For each component, this whitepaper provides a description, the scoring logic used to derive a quality score, and the data inputs required to apply it.
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