Brereton Carbon Project 1

Brereton Carbon Project 1 is a soil carbon sequestration project located in the Mid North region of South Australia, approximately 25 kilometers northeast of the city of Port Pirie. Registered in December 2023, the project covers an area of roughly 154 hectares. The site sits on the coastal plains near the foothills of the Southern Flinders Ranges, an area traditionally utilized for mixed farming operations, including cereal cropping and livestock grazing.

The project operates under the 2021 Soil Carbon (Measurement and Models) methodology, which rewards landholders for increasing Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) stocks. To achieve this, the project proponent, AgriProve Solutions, works with the landholder to implement new management activities designed to sequester carbon. For this specific project, the registered activities involve applying synthetic or non-synthetic fertilizers to address nutrient deficiencies and converting from intensive tillage to reduced or no-tillage practices. These changes aim to improve soil structure and microbial health, thereby retaining more carbon in the ground.

Environmentally, the region experiences a semi-arid to Mediterranean climate with an average annual rainfall of approximately 350mm to 400mm. The soils in this district are typically red-brown earths, sandy loams, or calcareous soils, which can be susceptible to wind erosion if not carefully managed. By adopting no-till practices, the project not only generates carbon credits but also likely assists in retaining soil moisture and reducing erosion risk in this dryland farming landscape.