McEwan Carbon Project 6

McEwan Carbon Project 6 is a soil carbon sequestration project located in the Mallee region of South Australia, approximately 25km northwest of the town of Pinnaroo. Registered in April 2022, the project covers 610.84 hectares of agricultural land. The surrounding region is predominantly characterized by dryland cropping (cereals like wheat and barley) and livestock grazing, typical of the Southern Mallee District.

The project operates under the 2021 Soil Carbon methodology (Estimation of Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration using Measurement and Models). This method involves establishing a baseline of soil carbon stocks and implementing management changes to sequester more carbon over time. Specific activities for this project include addressing nutrient deficiencies through synthetic or non-synthetic fertilizers, converting intensive tillage to reduced or no-till practices, and retaining crop stubble. These practices aim to improve soil structure and moisture retention in the semi-arid environment, which typically sees annual rainfall between 300mm and 400mm. The local soil profiles are generally characterized as sandy loams or duplex soils (sand over clay) with some calcareous dunes, which are common in the South Australian Mallee.

An interesting aspect of this project is its identifier, "McEwan Carbon Project 6," which suggests it is part of a larger aggregation of projects managed by the same landholders or family group. The proponent, AgriProve Solutions, is a prominent developer in the Australian market, known for utilizing a "partnering model" that often aggregates multiple land parcels to streamline the complex baselining and auditing requirements of the Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) scheme.