Cool Soil Initiative

Our work and impact

The Cool Soil Initiative is a collaborative program helping Australian grain growers reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while improving soil health and maintaining farm productivity.

Developed through a partnership between Mars, Kellogg's and the Sustainable Food Lab, the initiative supports farmers with practical tools, on-farm data, and evidence-based management practices that improve sustainability across the grain supply chain.

By combining research with real-world farming practices, the project helps producers better understand soil carbon, reduce emissions, and build more resilient farming systems.

Who it supports

The Cool Soil Initiative works with grain growers across regional farming communities, particularly in north-east Victoria and southern New South Wales.

The initiative supports:

• Grain growers seeking practical ways to improve soil health and productivity.
• Farmers looking to measure and reduce on-farm greenhouse gas emissions.
• Industry partners committed to more sustainable agricultural supply chains.
• Researchers developing evidence-based approaches to sustainable farming.

Key focus areas include:

• Soil carbon measurement: Supporting farmers to establish baseline emissions data and monitor soil carbon changes over time.
• Greenhouse gas management: Providing credible on-farm emissions calculations to guide management decisions.
• Sustainable farming practices: Encouraging innovative cropping systems, efficient nutrient management and cover cropping to improve soil health.
• Farmer collaboration: Working alongside growers to identify practical opportunities that improve productivity while reducing environmental impact.
  
  The initiative aims to:
• Helping farmers understand and manage on-farm greenhouse gas emissions.
• Providing access to digital tools that combine soil, landscape and satellite data.
• Improving transparency across agricultural supply chains.
• Increasing soil carbon and water retention to build resilience during dry conditions.
• Supporting a scalable framework that can be adopted across Australia's grain industry.

Even small improvements in soil carbon across participating farms have the potential to remove significant amounts of carbon from the atmosphere while strengthening long-term farm productivity.

Partners

• Mars
• Kellogg's
• Sustainable Food Lab
• Food Agility CRC
• Manildra Group
• Allied Pinnacle
• Charles Sturt University

Get involved