Credible Data, Lasting Change: Introducing FarmSolve

Regenerative farming is gaining momentum in South Africa as farmers look for ways to heal degraded land, adapt to climate shifts and access new revenue streams through carbon finance. However, proving that the change is real, measurable, and verifiable depends on one thing: data.

That’s where FarmSolve, developed by PowerSolve Technologies, comes in. FarmSolve is a new Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) solution, and the digital backbone of TASC’s commercial Grassland Restoration and Stewardship in South Africa (GRASS) project. One of the first of its kind, this project is bringing about significant positive change for commercial livestock farmers across the country. By capturing what happens in the field, FarmSolve ensures that project activities can be verified by TASC, investors, and carbon markets.

Working With Farmers for Lasting Change

Across Southern Africa and globally, grasslands are under immense pressure. Desertification (the degradation of dry land into desert) increasingly threatens both ecosystems and livelihoods. Traditional farming methods are often reactive to these problems with technological interventions and temporary fixes that do not address the underlying cause of the issues.

The Savory Institute describes the challenge clearly in its Foundations of Holistic Management¹:

·        Declining land productivity

·        Rising production costs

·        Pressure from global markets and complex regulations

·        Extreme weather events

·        Shifting societal expectations about land use

At the same time, the Institute points to what is possible when land is managed in alignment with nature’s processes. By strengthening the symbiotic relationships between the soil, plants, animals, and people, farmers can achieve:

·        Increased profits, stocking rates and crop yields

·        The return of wildlife and perennial grasses

·        Healthier soils and ecosystems

·        Improved quality of life

² Inter-Plant Spacing in Grasslands

TASC’s commercial GRASS project encourages farmers to manage holistically and utilise adaptive livestock grazing management practices to restore degraded soils and improve biodiversity. These changes not only build ecological resilience but can also increase soil-based carbon sequestration, opening opportunities to generate carbon credits as a new income stream, alongside healthier livestock and landscapes. TASC has already seen these principles take root. As Carbon Portfolio Manager Lize Kok explains: “The carbon project is invested in supporting farmers to transition to more regenerative grazing management by sponsoring training in regenerative land management, software to easily record day-to-day management activities, monitoring of ecological and soil indicators, and access to a team of mentors and supporters. While revenue from carbon credits will be a welcome bonus to the farmers, the true value lies in the tangible outcomes resulting from these changes. On the ground, farmers have reported more diversity in their grasslands, improved grazing conditions, and more productive livestock.”

This perspective underscores an important point: this project is about more than carbon. It’s about sustainability in its broadest sense: building farms that thrive both financially and ecologically, creating productive landscapes for future generations. When it comes to improving soil health, TASC empowers farmers to work with nature by using tools like Ecological Outcome Verification (EOVs) to give farmers direct feedback on soil health and biodiversity indicators for practical insights that guide decisions on the ground. As for carbon and the project operations, FarmSolve is the Single Source of Truth (SSoT). Farmer onboarding data and project activities are stored and managed on FarmSolve. Information such as monthly rainfall, field size, and herd movements are also logged and pulled into FarmSolve via API. Reports can be generated from this information and calculations automated, such as number of Livestock Units (LSUs) and field Rated Carrying Capacity. This data repository helps the carbon team to better understand patterns in livestock activity and the results of improved land management interventions.

How FarmSolve Came About

Three partners have been working closely together to bring FarmSolve to life:

1.     Healing Hooves (HH) is at the heart of farmer training and teaching the visualisation of holistic land management and regenerative grazing based on Allan Savory’s principles of Holistic Management.

●       They guide farmers to shift their mindset and adopt regenerative grazing practices.

●       Offer a rich library of resources and support to promote regenerative grazing principles and practical implementation.

●       They teach Biological Plans and Grazing Plans - how to calculate optimal herd rotations and field duration. This ensures the right animals are in the right place at the right time for the right reasons.

2.     TASC is the carbon project designer and implementer. They provide the funding and co-ordination that ensures plans translate into action and the project generates carbon credits:

●       Assess farm eligibility and guide farmers through the carbon project process.

●       Hub Leaders (mentors who guide farmers through the transition) manage farmer onboarding onto AgriWebb and FarmSolve, where grazing plan data is uploaded and actual herd movements tracked.

●       Field technicians oversee soil sampling and Ecological Outcome Verification (EOV) to provide farmers with feedback and monitor environmental impact.

●       The carbon team measure the increase in soil-based carbon sequestration and prepares the project for verification and carbon credit issuance

3.     PowerSolve Technologies manages the design and maintenance of FarmSolve, creating a digital backbone which grows and evolves with the project:

●       Integrates with AgriWebb to capture detailed farm data like herd movements and monthly rainfall.

●       Generates a fully auditable data trail ensuring transparency, traceability, and legitimacy.

●       Generate reports on farms and automate data cleaning and flagging of overdue tasks.

●       Enables TASC to prove impact and provide stakeholders with confidence that project activities are real and change is measurable.

Farm Overview in FarmSolve

Where FarmSolve and the GRASS Project Stand Today

The GRASS project is still in its early stages, but it is expanding steadily and generating momentum. The first group of 8 farmers was onboarded just over a year ago, laying the foundation for practical implementation of regenerative grazing and data tracking. This year, the project has grown to 108 farmers, reflecting growing interest and confidence in the approach.

While the system is still early-stage and iterative, the focus remains on breaking new ground in regenerative grazing and credible data tracking. Tracking real herd movement data is challenging to visualise but increasing feedback from TASC and farmers is allowing FarmSolve to become more intuitive and multifunctional. Each new cohort contributes to a richer dataset, strengthening the overall story of land regeneration.

As TASC CFO Malcolm Stewart put it, “In a short period of implementation, the tangible changes in the landscape are encouraging us to continue working to promote rangeland stewardship across South Africa.” The scale of the project is also increasing rapidly. Nearly 150,000 hectares of regenerative land are set to be included in the verification process for the second grazing season. In just two years, TASC has expanded its team of hub leaders and extended its reach to the Free State, KwaZulu Natal and the Eastern Cape. It’s important to note that the true value of these efforts is revealed over time. While early signs of progress can be seen within a single season, such as improvements in soil health, grass growth, and livestock quality, the full impact on the land unfolds over decades.

Why This Matters: Beyond Carbon

FarmSolve will allow this type of carbon offset project to be replicated globally. It ensures credibility is built into the project from the ground up, enabling project developers to demonstrate real, measurable change and access carbon finance with confidence.

But the story of this digital MRV solution goes far beyond carbon. The real impact is in the co-benefits: healthier soils, stronger ecosystems, more resilient farms, and improved animal production. For the farmers, these tangible improvements are the true reward, and the carbon credits are simply an added benefit that contributes towards enabling this transformation to happen. The lessons here demonstrate that with the right mix of knowledge, support, and technology, regenerative grazing can deliver measurable environmental, economic, and social benefits; proving that sustainable farming isn’t just an ideal, it’s the future.

³ Happy Cows in a Field

References

¹ Savory Institute. The Foundations of Holistic Management. Savory Institute, 2024.

²Kneale, Alexa. Inter-Plant Spacing in Grasslands, Graaf-Reinet, May 2025.

³Kneale, Alexa. Happy Cows in a Field, Graaf-Reinet, May 2025.