Barwick Carbon Project 3

Barwick Carbon Project 3 is a soil carbon project located approximately 10km northeast of Kaniva in the West Wimmera region of western Victoria. It was registered in March 2022 and covers 261.76 hectares.

Soil carbon projects under the Measurement and Models methodology involve sequestering carbon by changing agricultural practices to build soil health. The standard requirements include establishing a measured baseline of soil carbon, implementing at least one new eligible land management activity, and subsequently re-measuring or modelling the soil to demonstrate a quantifiable increase in carbon stores.

The Kaniva area is a prominent agricultural region known for mixed cropping (such as wheat, barley, and canola) and grazing enterprises. The regional environment experiences low average rainfall of approximately 340mm annually. Soils in the area are typically characterised by predominant loam topsoils with patches of clay and varied subsoil profiles including grey, brown, and yellow layers down to one metre.

This project increases carbon in soil in the agricultural system by applying nutrients to the land in the form of a synthetic or non-synthetic fertiliser to address a material deficiency, as well as retaining stubble after a crop is harvested.

Interestingly, this project forms part of the broader 850-hectare Barwick Carbon aggregation managed by local landholder Geoff Vivian in partnership with AgriProve. The aggregation has been notably successful, recently earning 10,548 Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) after transitioning to a biology-led fertiliser program, marking one of the largest soil carbon issuances in Victoria to date.