Jem Carbon Project

Jem Carbon Project is a soil carbon sequestration project located on the 'Jemalong' aggregation, approximately 40 kilometers southwest of Forbes in the Central West region of New South Wales. Registered in July 2024, the project covers nearly 8,875 hectares of the historic station, which sits within the productive Lachlan Valley. The area is a premier mixed farming region known for intensive cropping (wheat, barley, canola, and cotton) as well as livestock grazing.

The project operates under the 2021 Soil Carbon methodology, which credits landholders for increasing the amount of organic carbon stored in their soil compared to a baseline. To achieve this, the proponent involves implementing new land management activities; for this specific project, the registered activity involves applying synthetic or non-synthetic fertilisers to address material nutrient deficiencies. This helps stimulate plant growth and root biomass, which in turn drives carbon storage in the soil profile.

Environmentally, the Jemalong area is characterized by a semi-arid to temperate climate with an average annual rainfall of approximately 500mm, which is relatively evenly distributed throughout the year. The landscape features diverse soil types typical of the Lachlan River catchment, including grey chocolate clays, red earths, and sandy alluvial loams.

A notable aspect of this project is its scale and corporate backing; Lawson Grains is one of Australia's largest corporate grain farmers, now owned by New Forests and Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo). Public reports indicate the company aims to increase soil organic carbon in the top 30cm from 1.0% to 1.3% across the project area, potentially generating over 300,000 ACCUs over a 20-year period.