The National Soil Monitoring Program (NSMP) is a $21.599 million initiative announced as part of Budget 2023-24.
The NSMP is a key deliverable of the National Soil Action Plan. Priority 1 of the Action Plan includes the development of an ‘agreed national framework to support the measurement, monitoring, mapping, reporting and sharing of soil state and trend information, to inform best practice management, decision making and future investment in soil’.
The NSMP also supports the National Soil Strategy (2021) goal 3, to ‘strengthen soil knowledge and capability’.
The purpose of the NSMP is to monitor agreed physical, chemical and biological soil properties and to use the data to help understand soil condition and trends.
The data gathered will support stakeholders, including policy makers and, researchers to make evidence-based decisions to improve soil health at a range of scales. This data will also empower farmers to prioritise their soil health and strengthen their soil knowledge and capability, increasing stewardship of their land and providing the framework or scientific rigour to restore, improve and maintain soil health and sustainable agriculture.
The NSMP will complement the Australian National Soil Information System (ANSIS) by providing access to additional high quality soil data and improved data coverage across Australia. The additional data collected through the NSMP will both significantly increase the amount of data currently available and by complementing other data already accessible via ANSIS, provide greater confidence and support decision-making on soil management by land holders, policy makers and other key stakeholders.
NSMP Phase Status
NSMP Phase 1 was led by the CSIRO and involved the design of sampling and measurement requirements for the program. In this phase the CSIRO established standards and operational requirements and prepared for on-ground and testing activities. Identification of potential service providers and sub-contracting requirements were also undertaken.
Budget: $1.8 million
Duration: 12-month contract executed on 29 November 2023 and completed in December 2024.
NSMP Phase 2 is being led by the CSIRO and will focus on the delivery of the program. This involves:
- field soil sampling and assessment of approximately 3,000 sites across Australia focussing on soils used for agricultural purposes
- the logistics of transporting the soil samples
- laboratory analysis
- soil sample storage
- data management
- reporting and analysis
Budget: $19.799 million
Duration: 4-year contract was executed on 10 September 2024 and is expected to be completed by June 2028.
Further information on the NSMP can be found on the CSIRO website and on the NSMP platform.