Wise Carbon Project

The Wise Carbon Project is a soil carbon sequestration project located in the Goulburn Valley region of Victoria, approximately 5km south of Tongala and 8km southwest of Kyabram. Registered in December 2020, the project covers an area of roughly 151 hectares. The surrounding region is part of the Goulburn-Murray Irrigation District, an area heavily utilised for intensive agriculture, particularly dairy farming, irrigated cropping, and grazing.

This project operates under the 2018 Measurement of Soil Carbon Sequestration in Agricultural Systems methodology. This framework allows landholders to earn Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) by implementing management changes that increase soil organic carbon levels. Common activities include altering stocking rates, implementing rotational grazing, and improving pasture composition to boost biomass. The project requires a baseline soil test followed by subsequent rounds of sampling to empirically verify carbon increases over time.

The environment in the Tongala and Kyabram area is characterised by a semi-arid to temperate climate with hot summers and cool winters. Average annual rainfall is approximately 450mm, though the region relies significantly on irrigation systems to support high-yield agriculture. The local soil profile typically consists of red-brown earths (Sodosols or Chromosols) and heavy clay loams, which are productive under irrigation but can be prone to compaction. The project is facilitated by AgriProve, a major developer in the Australian soil carbon sector known for managing the administrative and technical sampling requirements for farmers.