The government of Western Australia is offering grants to ten innovative carbon farming projects through its $3.3 million pioneering Carbon Farming and Land Restoration Program.
“Our farmers have a huge opportunity to play an important role in the global fight against climate change, while at the same time boosting their business profitability,” said Agriculture and Food Minister Alannah MacTiernan in a media release.
“Through our program we are supporting farmers to explore how carbon farming can future-proof their businesses: improving productivity and profitability, diversifying enterprises, spreading risk and providing a new income stream.
According to the Minister, the funding is helping turn WA agriculture into a solution for climate change.
“We will see real landscape and business transformations from this first round of funding, helping to pave the way for other farmers to trial these opportunities.
“This program is just one of several initiatives supporting the adoption of land restoration practices in WA, alongside the Southern Rangelands Revitalisation Pilot Project, the new WA Soil Health Strategy and the Soil Systems Master Classes.”
As an example, thanks to the $738,600 funding boost from the State, Weelhamby Farm, near Perenjori, will implement an integrated biodiversity revegetation project and a pasture rejuvenation project.
Four other carbon projects in the South-West, Great Southern and Eastern Wheatbelt will share in the Round One funds, covering over 7,000 hectares and removing an estimated 140,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere over the next ten years.
In addition, the Program’s Future Carbon initiative will fund four pilot research projects to study carbon sequestration methods and improve awareness of carbon-capturing activities in order to stimulate widespread use of carbon farming practices.
