Carbon Farming

The Hon. T.T. NGO (15:04): I have a question for the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development. Can the minister update the chamber about carbon farming in South Australia?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (15:04): I thank the honourable member for his very important question. For those in this chamber who may not be aware, carbon farming is a whole-farm approach, using agricultural methods to increase the uptake and storage of carbon dioxide in soil. Carbon farming can have enormous benefits in reducing erosion, enhancing soil fertility, and combatting climate change.

Back in April 2023, this government announced over $600,000 towards the Growing Carbon Farming Pilot, with grants awarded to projects that would build the carbon farming market in South Australia. Successful projects were awarded funding of amounts between $43,000 and $100,000, spanning horticulture, livestock, cropping and dairy. The various projects included soil carbon sequestration and revegetation and animal effluent management project activities, and the projects are located across the state.

To be successful, the projects were required to demonstrate environmental, social and economic co-benefits for the state. The purpose of the pilot was to demonstrate an application of carbon farming methods to South Australian primary production, increasing recognition and uptake of carbon farming methods. To refresh everyone's memories in case you haven't all recalled, the successful projects back in 2023 included the following:

Duxton Apples, who were awarded $43,990 for their soil carbon sequestration project, using cover cropping practices in their apple orchards;

Thomas Elder Institute were offered up to $99,400 to evaluate carbon neutral opportunities for livestock production in the Upper South-East of South Australia;

Upper North Farming Systems were offered $99,726 for their whole-of-farm carbon project to assess changes in land management to increase climate resilience through carbon sequestering in soil and vegetation;

FarmLab were offered $85,000 to apply clay to sandy soils to improve the quality of the soil through increased soil carbon and diversify revenue streams;

Thomas Foods International were provided $100,000 for their project, improving carbon sequestration on Mount Schanck grazing land; and, finally

Mallee Sustainable Farming were offered $96,500 to demonstrate soil carbon sequestration practices for large-scale cropping systems over 3,000 hectares of cropping land.

Today, I am pleased to announce that our state's commitment to net zero by 2050 will be partly demonstrated through carbon farming videos showcasing these successful projects. These videos will showcase the role of landholders in implementing agricultural practices and modern land management to help reduce climate change by reducing emissions, enhancing soil health and increasing biodiversity.

The first video was released today and portrays Thomas Foods International's project at Mount Schanck where they were provided $100,000 to implement a tree-planting program identifying areas where more shelter was needed. They also have undertaken a soil project where they have identified their lowest performing areas to inform how to increase carbon capture and improve production.

These two projects continue to reduce the emissions at Mount Schanck and are increasingly important for market access for investors and consumers who are taking more interest in the sustainability credentials of farms. I look forward to the rollout in the coming weeks of further carbon farming videos, demonstrating the diverse and innovative agricultural practices being taken up across the state, which are bringing real benefits to both the environment and the agricultural sector.