By Gerelyn Terzo, Global AgInvesting Media
A new agribusiness-carbon vehicle is emerging in Australia, backed by institutional capital and a mining powerhouse, poised to disrupt the market. The Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), Australia’s specialist climate investor, and Québec, Canada-based global investment group La Caisse have launched Meldora, a A$250 million platform that combines sustainable agricultural production with the large-scale generation of Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs). In an endorsement of the strategy, Australian mining giant Rio Tinto has committed as a foundation off-taker for the platform’s inaugural project, underscoring robust demand for high-integrity carbon credits.
Managed by institutional farmland specialist Gunn Agri Partners (GAP), Meldora is funded by A$200 million from La Caisse and A$50 million from the CEFC. Alongside the launch, Meldora also announced its inaugural acquisition: an expansive farm spanning more than 15,000 hectares of broadacre and irrigated land in Central Queensland.
GAI News has learned that La Caisse and Gunn Agri were already partners through an investment in Wilga, a sustainable regenerative agricultural platform that contributes to improving sustainability across the sector. This turned out to be a great partnership, which led to this new investment as a natural follow-up, a La Caisse spokesperson explained.
CEFC Head of Natural Capital, Heechung Sung stated: “This initiative represents a long term investment in nature and land-based strategies in Australian agriculture. It’s a great privilege to again be able to work with La Caisse and GAP to invest in this strategy and alongside Rio Tinto, who have demonstrated with their long term offtake, a commitment to invest in high-integrity carbon credits.”
Meldora’s approach combines traditional farming with extensive Environmental Plantings under the ACCU scheme. A long-term offtake agreement with Rio Tinto for a portion of the ACCUs ensures revenue stability, while the plantings deliver enduring ecological advantages. Native trees and vegetation will be preserved for at least 25 years, potentially longer in some instances, securing carbon sequestration and enhancing biodiversity. Typical examples for such projects in the Central Highlands region include brigalow/Acacia harpophylla, a key shrubby tree in Brigalow woodlands known for its carbon storage potential, alongside eucalypts like Poplar Box/Eucalyptus populnea, and coolibah/Eucalyptus coolabah, which support biodiversity and long-term sequestration in mixed plantings.
Gunn Agri Partners Joint Managing Director Bradley Wheaton, said: “The scale of this investment and the scope of the Meldora platform means that it is uniquely ambitious in integrating the restoration of native vegetation in the landscape of an institutional-quality agricultural investment. Through diversification across irrigation, dryland cropping and carbon credit generation, the investment model redefines the future of farming.”
La Caisse Executive Vice President and Head of Infrastructure and Sustainability Emmanuel Jaclot commented, “This investment is a timely step toward advancing resilient, climate-smart agriculture in Australia, while delivering measurable environmental and economic value. Teaming up once again with the CEFC and GAP – and with Rio Tinto as a foundation off-taker – reinforces our confidence in this platform’s ability to scale. It reflects La Caisse’s commitment to sustainable land use and our broader net zero ambition, as we position ourselves early in a growing market for high-quality carbon credits.”
By integrating native species restoration with crop and livestock operations, this investment illustrates how Australian agriculture can achieve dual goals of productivity and environmental stewardship. The generated carbon credits bolster farm resilience and position the sector for competitiveness in a net-zero-focused global economy.
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