Guilfoyle Carbon Project 8

Guilfoyle Carbon Project 8 is a soil carbon sequestration project located approximately 10 kilometers north of Birchip in the Mallee region of Victoria. Registered in September 2022, the project covers a land area of roughly 218 hectares. The proponent, Agriprove Solutions Pty Ltd, is a prominent developer in the Australian soil carbon sector, and the "8" in the project title suggests this is part of a larger aggregation of projects, likely associated with a specific landholder or family farming operation in the district.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Estimation of Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration using Measurement and Models) Methodology Determination 2021. This methodology is a "hybrid" approach that allows project proponents to calculate carbon credits by combining physical soil core measurements with modeled estimates. To generate Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs), the project must demonstrate a net increase in soil organic carbon stocks over time compared to a baseline. This is achieved by changing land management practices to encourage biomass growth and reduce carbon loss.

The Birchip region is situated at the transition between the Wimmera and Mallee districts, an area heavily utilized for dryland broadacre cropping (cereals, oilseeds, and pulses) and livestock grazing. The environment is characterized by a semi-arid climate with an average annual rainfall of approximately 350–400mm. The soils in this vicinity are typically Calcarosols (Mallee loams) or Vertosols (cracking clays), which can be productive but often require careful management to maintain structure and organic matter levels.

To drive the sequestration of carbon, this specific project has nominated three key management activities: applying synthetic or non-synthetic fertilizers to address material soil deficiencies, converting from intensive tillage to reduced or no-tillage practices, and retaining crop stubble after harvest. By correcting nutrient deficits, the project aims to boost plant growth and root biomass, while reduced tillage and stubble retention minimize soil disturbance and protect organic matter from oxidizing, thereby facilitating long-term carbon storage.