A DAFF-Funded Research Initiative
Climate Smart Soils
Testing Soil Technologies for Acidic and Sodic Cropping Soils
Soil acidity and sodicity are major constraints to Australian dryland farming systems, limiting root growth, nutrient availability, soil structure and crop performance. The Climate Smart Soils project is investigating practical soil amendment technologies and placement strategies to better manage these constraints under real farming conditions.
Working with regional grower groups across five states, the project is evaluating innovative soil technologies across diverse soil types and farming systems, generating field-based evidence to support more resilient and productive Australian cropping systems.
About the Project
Trialling Innovative Soil Technologies Across Australia
Climate variability is significantly challenging dryland farming systems across Australia. The Climate Smart Soils project is addressing this challenge by trialling Innovative Soil Technologies (IST) that dramatically improve water infiltration and retention — the critical factors that determine crop success in a drying climate.
Working with nine regional grower groups across five states, our research evaluates soil treatment approaches across diverse soil types, delivering evidence-based insights that Australian farmers can act on today.
The Challenge We're Solving
Understanding the problem is the first step. Here’s why dryland farming needs new solutions — and how we’re delivering them.
The challenge: casting a new lens on soil acidity and sodicity
Many Australian cropping soils are constrained by acidity and sodicity, including constraints that occur below the surface and are difficult to manage with standard approaches. These constraints can limit root growth, reduce nutrient availability, increase aluminium toxicity risk, weaken soil structure and restrict crop access to the soil profile.
Climate variability can intensify the impact of these constraints, but the core challenge remains the soil itself: how to manage acidic and sodic soils more effectively, practically and economically across different farming systems.
- ☁ Reduced and unpredictable rainfall patterns
- 💧 Declining soil water infiltration capacity
- 🌡 Increasing frequency of extreme weather events
- 📉 Long-term soil health deterioration
Our approach: testing products, placement and performance
The project is testing how different soil amendment products, product forms and placement strategies perform under field conditions. This includes comparing practical and commercially relevant treatments with innovative soil technologies such as micronised amendments and targeted placement approaches.
A key strength of the project is its national field-trial network. By working across different soil types, rainfall zones, climates and cropping regions, the project can evaluate how these technologies perform in real farming systems rather than in isolation.
The aim is to generate practical evidence that helps growers and advisers better understand which approaches are most suitable for managing acidic and sodic soils in their region.
- ✅ Improved water infiltration and retention
- ✅ Reduced runoff and evaporation losses
- ✅ Evidence across diverse soil types and states
- ✅ Farmer-led trials in real growing conditions
Field trials across Australian cropping regions
The project is working with regional grower groups and research partners across five states to test soil amendment technologies under real farming conditions. Trial sites capture a range of soil types, rainfall zones, constraints and cropping systems, allowing the project to evaluate how different approaches perform across diverse environments.
Our Grower Groups
Nine regional grower groups across Australia — collectively driving the adoption of innovative soil technologies at the farm level.
WANTFA
Western Australia
Birchip Cropping Group
Victoria
PIRSA / SARDI
South Australia
AIR EP
SA
Facey Group
Western Australia
Mingenew-Irwin Group
Western Australia
Southern Farming Systems
Tasmania
Riverine Plains Inc
New South Wales
AMPS Agribusiness
NSW
Project Partners
Leading research institutions and industry partners enabling world-class soil science across Australia.
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Interested in the project, wanting to collaborate, or seeking more information? We’d love to hear from you.
Contact Us
‘The Innovative Soil Technologies to Foster Resilience and Climate Smart Crop Production in Australia Project’, is supported by the Australian Government through funding from the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program under the Natural Heritage Trust.