There is an ever increasing amount of information regarding soil carbon projects coming online. As one SCIG member recently put it, ‘soils are flavour of the month’. While we have this level of attention and momentum, we are looking to ensure that members are kept up to date with the latest soil carbon news, science and policy announcements.

Here is a snapshot of what is happening in soil carbon from Australia and around the world:

• The Nature Conservancy recently released ‘Carbon Market Incentives to Conserve, Restore and Enhance Soil Carbon’ – the report provides an international snapshot on the current state of play for soil carbon projects and can be accessed at https://www.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-insights/perspectives/carbon-market-incentives-to-conserve-restore-enhance-soil-carbon/.
• New Market Opportunity Funds Grassland Conservation as a Carbon Sink from the Environmental Defense Fund – A new market opportunity pays farmers and ranchers to preserve grasslands and lock carbon into the soil – see https://www.edf.org/media/new-market-opportunity-funds-grassland-conservation-carbon-sink
• American Farmland Trust calling for increased carbon sequestration – The loss of agricultural capacity, in acres of land and inches of soil, is unsustainable from a farming perspective and contributes to the impact toward climate change – see https://www.deltafarmpress.com/land-management/american-farmland-trust-calling-increased-carbon-sequestration
• 98% of Northern Ireland soils inadequately analysed – the Sustainable Agricultural Land Management Strategy Report published in 2016 states that 98% of NI soils are inadequately analysed every year and that 82% of soils are below optimum fertility – see https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/98-of-northern-ireland-soils-inadequately-analysed
• Cover crops and livestock for healthy soils – using cover crops and grazing livestock to boost soil health and biodiversity could be the key to longevity in the increasingly harsh Australian environment, according to a soil expert from the US – see https://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/agribusiness/cropping/cover-crops-and-livestock-for-healthy-soils/news-story/a4b19559bea500353cffec19df3ffc3f
• UN: Soil health ‘essential’ to beating climate change and meeting SDGs – UN’s agriculture chief warns of hunger danger and climate change struggles unless work is undertaken to boost soil health around the world – see https://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/3061098/un-soil-health-essential-to-beating-climate-change-and-meeting-sdgs.

If you have any news or links to share, please send to matthew.warnken@agriprove.io in the first instance, so that the information can be shared with the wider membership.