[PRESS RELEASE] New South Wales Government backs soil carbon sequestration: the climate lever where everybody wins

Soil carbon sequestration offers a path towards net zero where no one loses, according to SoilCQuest2031, the not-for-profit research institute based in Forbes, New South Wales. The organisation has received a $1.76 million NSW Government grant to help farmers build carbon in their soils.

"Soil carbon is the only climate lever you can pull where everybody's happy," says founder and Executive Director, Guy Webb. "The farmer is happy with profitability and productivity, the environment is happy. No one is against you."

Unlike many emissions reduction measures aimed towards net zero, building soil carbon keeps land in agricultural production while improving soil health and productivity.

Mr Webb said recent research breakthroughs could bring cropping land into carbon sequestration at scale.

"If you could switch on 25 million hectares of carbon sequestration, that is a really big step towards net zero, and everybody wins," he said.

SoilCQuest is one of five organisations funded under Round 2 of the High Impact Partnerships program, delivered by the New South Wales state government.

"It is wind in our sails for the first time, where we've actually got government support to stand up soil carbon projects and really open up that opportunity for growers," Mr Webb said.

The three-year program covers agronomy updates, grower updates, and research. SoilCQuest recently completed eight agronomist workshops across NSW, and family-friendly grower pub nights will follow from early 2027.

Five research partners will run trials on carbon sequestration and its benefits for yield, water, and nitrogen. [END]

About SoilCQuest: SoilCQuest 2031 is a not-for-profit research institute bringing farmers and scientists together to increase soil carbon and reduce emissions.