Carbon farming
Carbon Farming is the use of innovative and regenerative agricultural and land management practices to:
- reduce carbon emissions
- sequester carbon in the soil and vegetation.
These practices can be used to reduce the carbon footprint of agricultural industry operations, and/or offset carbon emissions through dedicated land management projects.
Reducing operational emissions can include reducing methane emissions from livestock or reducing emissions through better fertiliser or manure management.
Carbon sequestration can include replanting native vegetation and increasing biodiversity, farm and plantation forestry, or improving soil management to increase the amount of carbon in the soil.
The South Australian Government's Department of Primary Industry and Regions (PIRSA) recently released its Carbon Farming Roadmap for South Australia. The roadmap guides the government and private sector through risks and opportunities for the development of this new and evolving industry.
More information on the South Australian approach to Carbon Farming can be found on the PIRSA website.
Assessing landscape options and opportunities
CSIRO has developed a landscape options and opportunities for carbon abatement calculator (LOOC-C).
The calculator allows you to assess options on the land for certain projects offered under Australia's federal carbon emissions programme, the Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF).
Watch the following video to learn more about the calculator.
Video source and credit: Associate Professor Matthew Harrison from the University of Tasmania
Carbon planting guidelines
Pathways to carbon neutral agricultural systems (or net zero emissions) by Associate Professor Matthew Harrison from the University of Tasmania provide insights on carbon planting.
The South Australian Department of Environment and Water has also produced a series of guidelines and documents to help guide carbon farming projects.