Soil

The Australian government wants to hit a 90% reduction in the costs of measuring soil carbon to ‘transform the economics’ of soil carbon projects for farmers.

The firm that launched Indigo Agriculture has set its sights on increasing transparency in US farmland markets through CIBO Technologies, says general partner Ignacio Martinez.

Sustainable practices led to resilient crops and businesses for two Australian farm operators, writes Westchester’s Martin Davies.

Partner Todd Solow says educating growers and retailers about the potential return on investment from the company’s plant health products was key to the investment’s success.

The program aims to bring the focus of the farm management industry from boosting cash yield to long-term appreciation, in keeping with the objectives of many institutional investors, says president Steve Bruere.

The firm used a $250,000 grant from the USDA to produce a report that quantifies the impact of sustainable ag practices within the REIT's portfolio at more than $21m.

Accelerating changes in farming techniques will create a wider market for biological inputs, says Pam Marrone, chief executive of Ospraie portfolio company MBI.

The company had targeted speciality crops and turf, but is developing a biochar-based soil treatment aimed at large-scale grain producers.

The project manager of an Asian Development Bank and Nordic Development Fund biochar project talks about using the product in Nepal, how private and public money should work together and why private capital won't yet fund the technology.

The private and public-funded initiatives will tackle soil quality and help smallholder farmers in developing countries arm themselves against the challenges of climate change.