Gemma Soil Carbon Project

Gemma Soil Carbon Project is a soil carbon sequestration project located approximately 40km northeast of Narrandera in the Riverina region of New South Wales. It was registered in February 2024 and initially covered an area of 1402.80 ha, before a variation in October 2025 removed some listed areas from the project boundary.

The project operates under the Estimation of Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration using Measurement and Models methodology. This methodology involves changing agricultural management practices to build and maintain carbon in agricultural soils. The standard requirements mandate establishing a baseline soil carbon level through rigorous soil sampling, implementing eligible new activities, and using a mix of measurement and modeling to calculate carbon sequestration over a nominated permanence period, which is 25 years for this project.

The Narrandera and broader Riverina area is widely known for mixed agricultural enterprises, including dryland cropping (such as wheat and canola) and livestock grazing operations. The region experiences a temperate to semi-arid climate with moderate rainfall, and the soils generally consist of red-brown earths, clays, and sandy loams well-suited for broadacre farming.

This project aims to increase carbon in the soil by applying nutrients to the land in the form of synthetic or non-synthetic fertilisers to address material deficiencies. The proponent, LOAM CARBON PTY LTD, is a subsidiary of Loam Bio, a prominent Australian AgTech start-up based in regional NSW. Loam Bio specializes in microbial technology, having developed commercial seed treatments (like CarbonBuilder) designed to harness microbes to accelerate stable soil carbon storage while simultaneously boosting agricultural productivity for farmers.