Drakeford Carbon Project

The Drakeford Carbon Project is a soil carbon sequestration project located in the Riverina region of New South Wales, approximately 25 kilometers west of the town of Temora and southeast of Ariah Park. Registered in September 2021, the project covers a project area of nearly 258 hectares within the Temora Shire Council. The project is managed by AgriProve Solutions Pty Ltd, a prominent carbon project developer in Australia known for its "partnership model" with landholders.

Operating under the 2021 Soil Carbon (Measurement and Models) methodology, the project aims to increase soil organic carbon stocks through specific changes in land management. The project activities include the application of synthetic or non-synthetic fertilizers to address nutrient deficiencies, the retention of crop stubble, and a conversion from intensive tillage to reduced or no-tillage practices. These activities are designed to improve soil health and retain biomass, which in turn sequesters carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into the soil. Notably, the project varied its methodology in August 2024, moving from the 2018 measurement method to the more flexible 2021 measurement and models determination, which allows for a combination of physical sampling and modeled estimates to calculate abatement.

The surrounding Riverina region is a major agricultural hub characterized by mixed farming, primarily focusing on winter cereals (such as wheat and canola) and livestock grazing (sheep and cattle). The area typically experiences a temperate climate with winter-dominant rainfall averaging between 500mm and 550mm annually. The soils in this locality are predominantly Red Chromosols (Red-brown earths), which are fertile but can be susceptible to structure decline if heavily tilled, making the project's shift to no-till farming particularly beneficial for both carbon sequestration and long-term land productivity.