McEwan Carbon Project 3

McEwan Carbon Project 3 is a soil carbon sequestration project located approximately 20km north of Pinnaroo in the Southern Mallee region of South Australia. Registered in April 2022, the project covers a project area of roughly 351 hectares. The site is situated near the South Australian-Victorian border, a district predominantly used for dryland cropping and livestock grazing.

This project operates under the 2021 Soil Carbon methodology (Estimation of Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration using Measurement and Models). This method requires landholders to implement new management activities to boost soil organic carbon levels compared to a baseline. Specific activities for this project include applying synthetic or non-synthetic fertilizers to address nutrient deficiencies, retaining crop stubble rather than burning or removing it, and converting from intensive tillage to reduced or no-tillage practices. These changes are designed to minimize soil disturbance and increase biomass return to the soil.

The Southern Mallee region is characterized by a semi-arid climate with an average annual rainfall of approximately 330mm to 350mm. The landscape typically features sandy loam soils, often with calcareous subsoils or limestone ridges, which can present challenges for water retention and root growth. The project is managed by AgriProve Solutions, a prominent soil carbon project developer known for using a partnership model that combines soil core sampling with satellite data to measure carbon stocks.