ALMOST $50 million in federal funding is on offer for agritech businesses and researchers to trial new methods that are more effective at measuring soil carbon.
Energy and Emissions Reduction Minister Angus Taylor said the grants, which could be as large as $30m, aimed to remove the number one barrier to increasing soil carbon - the cost of measuring it.
The government has set the goal of reducing the cost of measuring soil carbon by 90 per cent, to less than $3 a per hectare.
"Getting the cost of measurement down will make it easier for farmers, suppliers and researchers to understand the impact that different management practices have," Mr Taylor said.
"This is the first step in making it easier for farmers to demonstrate how they are reducing Australia's emissions and be rewarded for their efforts."
Potential opportunities to reduce measurement costs could include reduced physical sampling by advancing laboratory and in-field sensing techniques, increasing confidence in remote sensing estimation and modelling of soil carbon.
The funding is the second phase of the $50m National Soil Carbon Innovation Challenge. Successful applications from the first round will be announced soon.
Applications for the new round of funding are open for the next four weeks. To apply, visit the Department Industry, Science, Energy and Resources grant hub website.
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