Unlocking Soil Carbon: Our Vision for a Stronger ACCU Scheme
Australia’s path to net zero by 2035 depends on more than ambition. It requires practical, high‑integrity solutions that empower landholders, build trust in carbon markets, and deliver measurable climate outcomes. At Carbon Asset Solutions (CAS), we believe agriculture can be transformed into a powerful climate solution. To unlock by soil carbon through a stronger ACCU scheme, CAS wrote a submission to the Climate Change Authority’s 2026 ACCU Scheme Review.
Why Soil Carbon Matters
Healthy soils are the foundation of resilient agriculture. They store carbon, improve biodiversity, resilience for floods and droughts, and optimise farm productivity. Yet, under the current Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) scheme, outdated measurement methods and rigid rules risk sidelining innovation and slowing progress. A stronger ACCU scheme could unlock soil carbon turning agriculture into a powerful climate solution.
To that end, CAS has developed the Carbon Asset Solutions Soil Carbon Method (CAS‑SCM), a globally validated approach that uses Mobile Inelastic Neutron Scattering technology to measure soil carbon with 80% greater accuracy than traditional soil sampling. Combined with a fully digital, blockchain‑based Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) system, CAS‑SCM delivers transparency, scalability, and integrity from soil to sale. That’s how you can unlock soil carbon at scale!
Breaking Down the Barriers
To unlock soil carbon at scale through a stronger ACCU scheme, CAS wrote a submission to the Climate Change Authority’s 2026 ACCU Scheme Review. It highlights several challenges facing the ACCU scheme:
- Slow approval processes discourage investment and innovation.
- Narrow definitions of allowable methods exclude internationally recognised technologies and methods.
- Rigid permanence and crediting rules deter farmers from participating.
- Limited transparency undermines confidence in carbon markets.
In short, without reform, Australia risks falling behind global best practice and missing opportunities to unlock large‑scale abatement through agriculture.
Our Recommendations
Unlocking Soil Carbon through refining the existing scheme and methods
Firstly, to strengthen the ACCU scheme and accelerate soil carbon adoption, CAS recommends:
- Faster, clearer approval pathways for new methodologies.
- Recognition of innovative technologies like neutron scattering, already validated by the USDA and SGS, and used by farmers in the USA, Canada and Australia.
- Flexible permanence and crediting structures that balance integrity with farmer viability.
- Fully digitised MRV systems to ensure transparency, reduce costs, and scale efficiently and effectively.
- Integration of co‑benefits such as soil health, biodiversity, and farm resilience into credit valuation.
Taking together, these recommendations would strengthen the ACCU scheme to unlock soil carbon at scale.
Unlocking Soil Carbon through new methods
Secondly, by adopting CAS‑SCM and refining existing soil carbon methods, Australia can:
- Achieve more accurate soil carbon measurements.
- Provide farmers with actionable soil intelligence to optimise practices.
- Generate credits with traceable co‑benefits, aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
- Scale projects faster through digital verification systems.
- Transition from measuring only soil organic carbon to total soil carbon, reducing uncertainty and risk.
Unlocking Soil Carbon through digital MRVs
Thirdly, by adopting fully digital Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) can unlock a faster, more transparent, and scalable pathway to carbon reduction. By digitising MRV systems, carbon projects can move beyond slow, costly, and error‑prone manual processes to real‑time, blockchain‑secured data flows. This innovation not only reduces risks of inaccurate reporting but also empowers farmers and project developers with actionable soil intelligence, ensuring that every tonne of carbon sequestered is measured with integrity and traceability.
Further, digital MRVs streamline auditing, cut verification costs, and make credits more attractive to buyers by embedding trust and transparency into the system. In doing so, they open the door to significant new abatement opportunities, enabling agriculture and land management to scale climate solutions with confidence and efficiency. Therefore, CAS developed a fully digital MRV, which is already used by farmers across the world. That’s how a stronger ACCU scheme – based on digital MRVs – could unlock soil carbon.
Unlocking Soil Carbon through new technologies
Forth, strengthening the ACCU scheme requires embracing measurement innovations that deliver both accuracy and scalability, and Mobile Inelastic Neutron Scattering (INS) technology represents a breakthrough in this space. Unlike traditional soil sampling methods such as dry combustion analysis, which are often slow, costly, and prone to variability, Mobile INS provides in‑field, real‑time measurements with up to 80% greater accuracy. This precision not only enhances confidence in carbon sequestration outcomes but also reduces project risks and verification costs, enabling farmers to participate more readily in soil carbon projects.
Importantly, INS has already been recognised and approved by Verra, one of the world’s leading carbon credit standard‑setting bodies, underscoring its credibility and global acceptance. By integrating INS into the ACCU framework, Australia can align with international best practice, unlock significant new abatement opportunities, and ensure that its carbon credit system is built on transparency, integrity, and world‑leading science.
Unlocking Farmer Confidence and Market Integrity through Pricing
Lastly, for soil carbon projects to thrive under the ACCU scheme, pricing must reflect both the real investment farmers make and the integrity of the credits produced. Farmers often face significant upfront costs to adopt new practices, alongside verification and auditing expenses that can deter participation. By ensuring carbon credits are priced to reward these contributions, while also recognising the premium value of projects built on accurate measurement technologies and fully digitised MRV systems, the market can deliver fair returns to landholders and confidence to buyers.
Moreover, transparent pricing that incorporates co‑benefits such as improved soil health, biodiversity, and community resilience strengthens market integrity, reduces the risk of “phantom” credits, and motivates businesses to prioritise genuine emissions reductions before offsetting. In this way, pricing becomes a critical lever to unlock farmer confidence, sustain participation, and uphold the credibility of Australia’s carbon market.
Next Steps
Australia’s climate ambitions demand a carbon market that is agile, transparent, and aligned with global best practice. Soil carbon offers one of the most scalable and cost‑effective pathways to abatement. With CAS‑SCM, we can empower farmers, strengthen public confidence, and unlock the full potential of agriculture as a climate solution.
Does this resonate with you? Join us on our journey to unlock soil carbon:
