Downer Carbon Project 4

Downer Carbon Project 4 is a soil carbon sequestration project located in the Tatiara District of South Australia, approximately 25km southeast of Bordertown and immediately west of the Victorian border. Registered in August 2022, the project covers a land area of roughly 306 hectares. The project operates within the mixed-farming belt of the Tatiara region, an area widely referred to by its Indigenous meaning "Good Country," known for its productive cropping and grazing operations.

The project operates under the 2021 Soil Carbon (Measurement and Models) methodology. This framework allows landholders to earn Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) by implementing new management activities that increase soil organic carbon stocks. For Downer Carbon Project 4, these specific activities include applying synthetic or non-synthetic fertilisers to correct nutrient deficiencies, retaining crop stubble to protect soil structure, and transitioning from intensive tillage to reduced or no-tillage practices. These changes are designed to improve soil health and sequester carbon over a 25-year permanence period.

Environmentally, the region typically experiences a Mediterranean climate with an average annual rainfall between 450mm and 500mm, predominantly falling in winter. The landscape often features the "Tatiara" soil types, famously productive cracking grey clays (gilgai) and duplex soils consisting of sandy loam over clay, which are well-suited to the project's broadacre cropping and pasture activities. The project is managed by AgriProve Solutions, a leading developer in the Australian soil carbon sector.