ELVA Carbon Project 1

ELVA Carbon Project 1 is a soil carbon sequestration project located approximately 26km west of Swan Hill and 9km northeast of the small town of Ultima in Victoria's Mallee region. Registered in October 2025, the project covers 446.24 hectares of agricultural land. The surrounding region is predominantly utilized for dryland cropping, producing cereals such as wheat and barley, as well as sheep grazing.

The project operates under the 2021 Soil Carbon methodology, which rewards landholders for increasing soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks through changes in land management. This methodology requires rigorous physical measurement of soil carbon levels to establish a baseline and verify increases over time. The specific activity undertaken for this project involves applying synthetic or non-synthetic fertilizers to address material nutrient deficiencies. By correcting these deficiencies, the project aims to stimulate plant growth and root biomass, which in turn sequesters more carbon into the soil profile.

Environmentally, the site is situated in a semi-arid zone with an average annual rainfall of approximately 300-350mm. The soils in this part of the Mallee are typically calcareous sandy loams or solodized solonetz soils (sandy surfaces over clay subsoils), often featuring the characteristic dunefield topography of the region. The project is managed by Agriprove Solutions, a prominent developer in the Australian soil carbon sector.