P.PSH.2126 - CSP Module 2 - Data platform for increasing soil carbon in Australian agricultural systems

Summary

Increasing soil organic carbon levels in pastures increases pasture productivity and resilience, and also provides an additional revenue stream to red meat producers by monetising the drawdown of carbon from the atmosphere and storing it in their soils. 
To date, the significant barriers of high cost and low accuracy, driven by the sub-optimal soil coring approach to soil carbon measurement, have prevented many producers from monetising soil carbon increases. A better way to quantify soil carbon changes to overcome these barriers was needed.

Objectives

This project aimed to improve the financial returns of soil carbon projects for producers by significantly reducing the cost and increasing the accuracy of soil carbon quantification. This will result in a higher and more timely production of ACCUs at a lower cost which will dramatically increase the financial returns of soil carbon projects for producers.

The project also aims to have its approach approved by the Clean Energy Regulator (CER) to ensure the benefits of the technology produced flow through to producers via ACCUs.

Key findings

The project has delivered on the objectives set for it. The Agrimix Flux toolkit progresses the soil carbon and productivity aspects of the red meat industry and offers a pathway to a lower cost and higher accuracy future. It is now ready to be rolled out commercially into the industry and enable producers to improve their productivity, sustainability and profitability.

Benefits to industry

The development of Agrimix Flux means that the traditional barriers of higher cost and lower accuracy are able to be overcome leading to more attractive soil carbon project outcomes for producers. This will mean more soil carbon projects and increased efforts to sequester more soil carbon with the resulting pasture productivity and commercial benefits to producers. Agrimix Flux can also measure drivers of productivity which enhance the producer’s information availability for better decision-making and profitability.

MLA action

MLA will continue to support embedding of project outcomes into producer practice.

Future research

Continued calibration in different geographies, pasture types and management practice changes will expand the application Agrimix Flux to a broader range of producers.