Virtual Soil Carbon Advisor: Trusted advice for farmers and rural communities

Project lead: Nodoka Nakamichi
Project collaborators: Chris Lee, Sina Lengelsen-Brown
Lead organisations: University of Technology Sydney, Climate-KIC Australia
Partners: AgriProve (matched funding), University of Southern Queensland

The Challenge

Farmers and rural advisors face fragmented, complex and technical information on carbon farming and decarbonisation. While guidance exists, it is often difficult to apply in real-world decision-making and stretched advisory services limit reach. These barriers slow adoption of soil carbon practices and reduce confidence in climate-smart management options.

Our Approach

This project will co-design and prototype a Virtual Soil Carbon Advisor, a conversational AI tool that delivers trusted, context-specific guidance to farmers and advisory intermediaries such as Rural Financial Counsellors and Local Land Services officers. Using curated content, iterative co-design and user testing, the project will develop a minimum viable product that translates technical resources into actionable insights, strengthens decision-making and complements human advisory services.

Expected Impact

This project aims to provide a scalable, AI-enabled knowledge platform that supports adoption of soil carbon and resilience practices. By improving access to trusted guidance and building confidence among farmers and advisors, it can accelerate uptake of carbon farming, support on-farm resilience and enhance the capability of advisory systems. Over time, this foundation could lead to measurable emissions reductions, improved soil health and stronger regional economic and social resilience.

Project Timeline: March 2026 – August 2026