Newman Carbon Project 4

Newman Carbon Project 4 is a soil carbon sequestration project located approximately 10km southeast of the town of Loxton in the Riverland region of South Australia. Registered on 22 July 2024, the project covers a total area of 237.64 hectares. The project is situated within the Murray Mallee area, a region traditionally utilized for dryland cereal cropping and grazing, with irrigated horticulture present closer to the Murray River.

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 credits the increases in soil organic carbon stocks resulting from a change in land management. Unlike tree planting, this method focuses on building carbon below ground by increasing biomass production and reducing carbon loss. Projects must undergo baseline soil sampling and can use a "hybrid" approach of physical measurement and modeling to calculate carbon gains over time.

Environmentally, the site is located in a semi-arid climate zone with an average annual rainfall of approximately 260mm to 270mm. The landscape typically consists of undulating rises and dunefields. The soils in this area are predominantly calcareous sands, sandy loams, and solonized brown soils, which are often naturally low in nutrients and organic matter. The specific activity for this project involves applying nutrients (synthetic or non-synthetic fertilizer) to address material soil deficiencies, a strategy designed to boost plant growth and return more organic matter to the soil profile.