By Alex Baumber, Amanda Scott, Rebecca Cross, Peter Ampt, Cathy Waters, Jen Ringbauer, Bella Bowdler, Lorraine Gordon, Andres Sutton and Graciela Metternicht

Many landholders are becoming interested in enhancing soil carbon for a range of reasons – including government net-zero targets, private sector interest in offsetting emissions, new carbon farming methodologies and rising prices for Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs).

There is also a growing recognition that collaboration could help overcome some of the barriers to entry to carbon markets, including include small property sizes, high setup costs, complex regulations and uncertain markets. However, collaboration also presents challenges of its own, including understanding the different models – from formal options like co-operatives to informal arrangements that involve information-sharing.

The aim of this guide is to demystify these collaboration options. It was informed by more than 50 interviews across Australia with government agencies, carbon service providers, landholder groups, researchers and experts in carbon markets. It is not intended as legal or financial advice.

The guide is focused on two specific aspects of carbon farming:

• the role that landholder collaboration could play
• increasing soil carbon in agricultural systems

If you are after a broader overview of different carbon farming practices and methodologies or a more detailed background on carbon credits, we recommend A Farmer’s Handbook to On-farm Carbon Management, developed by CarbonCount for AgriFutures Australia. It includes a list of the carbon service providers operating in Australia who can help landholders to set up projects.

Links to other resources for information or support are provided in each section of the guide below.

The full report can be accessed here.