Erwin Carbon Project

The Erwin Carbon Project is a soil carbon sequestration initiative located approximately 15 kilometers south of Jamestown and 8 kilometers north of Hallett in the Mid North region of South Australia. Registered in February 2022, the project covers nearly 210 hectares of agricultural land. The surrounding landscape of the Mid North is a significant agricultural hub, primarily utilized for mixed farming operations that combine broadacre cropping (cereals and legumes) with livestock grazing (typically Merino sheep).

This project operates under the Estimation of Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration using Measurement and Models methodology (2021). This method rewards landholders for increasing soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks through changes in land management practices. Specific activities for this project include altering grazing stocking rates, duration, or intensity, and establishing permanent pasture on land that was previously cropped or fallow. By optimizing grazing pressure and maintaining vegetative cover, the project aims to stimulate root growth and microbial activity, which sequesters atmospheric carbon into the soil profile.

The environment in the Hallett-Jamestown corridor is characterized by a Mediterranean to semi-arid climate, typically receiving between 350mm and 500mm of annual rainfall. The region’s soils are predominantly red-brown earths and clay loams (Calcarosols), which are generally fertile but can be susceptible to erosion and structure decline if over-cultivated. The project is managed by Agriprove Solutions, a prominent service provider known for a partnership model that defers baseline sampling costs in exchange for a share of the resulting carbon credits (ACCUs).