Lochiel Carbon Project 1

Lochiel Carbon Project 1 is a soil carbon sequestration project located in the Mid North region of South Australia, situated directly adjacent to the township of Lochiel, approximately 130km north of Adelaide. Registered in January 2026, the project covers 349 hectares of agricultural land. The site is in close proximity to the notable Lake Bumbunga, a salt lake famous for its seasonal pink colouration.

The surrounding region is characterised by a semi-arid to Mediterranean climate with annual rainfall typically between 350mm and 450mm. Land use in this area is predominantly mixed farming, consisting of cereal cropping (wheat and barley) and sheep grazing. The soils in the Mid North are often calcareous earths (Calcarosols) or red loams, which can be highly productive but historically low in organic carbon due to traditional intensive cultivation, making them suitable candidates for sequestration improvements.

Operating under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Estimation of Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration using Measurement and Models) Methodology Determination 2021, the project aims to increase soil carbon stocks through specific land management changes. As detailed in the project's design, the proponent, Agriprove Solutions, intends to apply synthetic or non-synthetic fertilisers to address nutrient deficiencies and introduce legume species into cropping or pasture systems. These activities are designed to boost plant growth and root biomass, thereby drawing more carbon from the atmosphere and storing it in the soil profile.