Science-led sustainable farming initiative
Lifting productivity and optimising land use to regenerate underperforming farms
A new farming initiative backed by the CEFC is targeting the regeneration of underperforming farms while lowering their carbon intensity and improving sequestration.
$50m
CEFC investment
~66%
food systems emissions
12,500ha
mixed farmland
As agricultural asset managers for institutions there is complete transparency in our financial performance. What is ground-breaking here is that we have embedded the same accountability in the delivery of soil carbon, carbon in vegetation, emission reduction, biodiversity and other sustainability measures.Bradley WheatonPortfolio Manager, Gunn Agri
Our investment
The Transforming Farming Platform is a science-led sustainable farming initiative managed by Gunn Agri Partners, an Australian-based specialist agricultural asset manager.
The CEFC made a $50 million cornerstone investment in the Transforming Farming Platform, alongside leading Dutch asset manager Kempen SDG Farmland Fund.
The Transforming Farming Platform is focused on purchasing and improving the productivity and resilience of farms, using data-driven practices and expert advice from a team of leading agronomic and environmental advisers including the CSIRO.
At June 2022, the platform had completed eight acquisitions covering more than 12,500 hectares of mixed farmland across northern New South Wales.
our impact
The rapid growth of the Transforming Farming Platform demonstrates how a focused approach on regenerating farming practices can deliver a positive outcome for farmers, agriculture, emissions reduction and local landscapes.
The Gunn Agri integrated farming model has the potential to deliver energy efficiency improvements to farms as well as optimise production, soil carbon, biodiversity and other environmental outcomes.
Liverpool Plains features
- Its purchase of 6,000 hectares of Liverpool Plains includes mixed farming country in NSW, formerly targeted for re-development as a coal mine.
- The property incorporates highly-productive black soil cropping land.
- It also offers significant transformation potential for under-used and unimproved pasture.
- Regenerative agricultural practices will focus on biodiversity, soil and vegetation carbon sequestration.
Agriculture and net zero emissions
The CEFC is an active investor in the agriculture sector, across small and large scale agricultural projects, including emerging soil carbon initiatives. We recognise that smaller scale, mixed use Australian farms can reap considerable benefits by using data-backed best practice farming techniques to increase profitability and productivity while cutting their carbon footprint.
The CSIRO predicts that future global food security depends in part on achieving the highest possible yields on existing farmland. The Transforming Farming Platform approach integrates regenerative farming methods and improved land management techniques to optimise yield productivity, reduce carbon emissions and sequester carbon. Incorporating data from the CSIRO, including its Yieldgap research, the Platform works across cropping systems, weather and soil data and crop variabilities to optimise production.
Agriculture is a significant and growing contributor to global emissions. Approximately two-thirds of food systems emissions come from agriculture, land use and changes in land use. With the global population projected to reach 10 billion by 2050, agricultural production will need to increase by at least 50 per cent compared to 2012 output.
