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Project name Carbon Storage Partnership
Funding bodies Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA)
Lead researcher Associate Professor Matthew Harrison
Partners University of Melbourne, Integrity Ag & Environment, Rabobank, The Mullion Group, Australian National University, RMCG, South Coast NRM, New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, CSIRO, Agrimix, Queensland University of Technology, QLD Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Cloud Agronomics
Chief Investigators Associate Professor Matthew Harrison, Professor Peter Grace, Associate Professor David Rowlings, Dr Rachelle Meyer, Oli Madgett, Dr Hayley McMillan, Dr Nahuel Pachas, Mr Nick Kempe
cows in paddock

The Carbon Storage Partnership (CSP) is an initiative of Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) that aims to build the capability and capacity of Australia's livestock sector to become carbon neutral by 2030 (CN30).

The multi-million-dollar Partnership is led by Associate Professor Matthew Harrison at Tasmanian Instituted of Agriculture (TIA), and brings together a range of research, industry and government partners to develop the skills, technologies and practices needed to achieve the CN30 goal.

A key focus of the Partnership is assisting and supporting producers to learn about the opportunities for carbon neutrality, and developing a pathway that is profitable, environmentally sustainable and socially acceptable.

In Australia, agriculture contributes approximately 13% of the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the third biggest sector followed by Stationary Energy and Transport (DISER 2020). About 68% of the agricultural sector's  emissions are methane produced by ruminant digestion of cows and other livestock, with a further 10% from manure management processes.

The CSP is working towards the following outcomes:

  1. A 10% improvement in livestock productivity in 5% of the herd and flock, and the equivalent of 15 Mt of CO2 stored within 10 M ha of Australian grazing land by 2025
  2. Providing producers opportunities such as:
    1. Understanding GHG emissions on-farm and opportunities for generating carbon credits to diversify income streams,
    2. Adopting promising new technologies for increasing carbon storage at scale in a profitable way,
    3. Contributing improved management practices and skills for improved environmental outcomes on farm,
    4. Learning from other producers and get involved through workshops, field days and other interactive sessions

Research projects funded under the CSP include:

  • Sustainable Pathways to CN30 (Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture)
  • Data platform for increasing soil carbon in Australian agricultural systems (Agrimix / Queensland University of Technology)
  • Time controlled grazing for soil C sequestration and improved ecosystem services (Queensland University of Technology)
  • Maximising co-benefits of trees on farm (University of Melbourne)
  • Steak ‘n wood: demonstrating livestock productivity and environmental service benefits of trees on farm in northern systems (Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries)
  • Hyperspectral remote sensing of soil organic carbon (Perennial)

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