Growing Returns

Farmers and environmentalists want the same thing

By Rebecca Haynes / Twitter profile / Published: March 21, 2017

Farmers and environmentalists want the same thing

I’m spending time on this year’s National Ag Day thinking back gratefully to a recent meeting I had with farmers.

I was attending the annual farm exchange program offered through the California Agricultural Leadership Foundation, which facilitates learning opportunities on California farms. This year’s program brought together state environmental policy professionals and growers from the Central Coast, an epicenter for growing the nation’s specialty crops, such as lettuce, broccoli, and strawberries. My aim was “to see sustainability through the eyes of farmers.” We toured various agricultural operations, had thoughtful discussions, and stayed with host families in the local farm community.

My host was Erin Amaral, who manages 1,170 acres of vineyards near San Luis Obispo. Erin and I got along immediately – and our conversations kept coming back to one central tenet: farmers and environmentalists want the same things. Read More »

Posted in Carbon Market / Tagged almonds, bipartisan, california, California Agricultural Leadership Foundation, carbon, Central Coast, central valley, clean water, common ground, cover crops, herbicides, National Ag Day, orchard, Partnerships, pest control, pesticides, soil erosion, soil health, specialty crops, sustainable agriculture, vineyard, water quantity | Comments are closed

Impact investors eye bigger allocations to sustainable agriculture

By Rebecca Haynes / Twitter profile / Published: January 11, 2017

Impact investors eye bigger allocations to sustainable agriculture In early December, I flew out to Amsterdam to attend the Global Impact Investor Network (GIIN) Forum with 600 other delegates ranging from managers of pension funds and banks to individual investors from at least 30 countries.

Along with the growing interest in impact investing so evident at this well-attended forum, a key takeaway for me was that food and agriculture are poised to benefit. According to a 2016 survey conducted by the GIIN, more impact investors – a third of all respondents – plan to boost investment in food and agriculture than in any other sector.

As a research fellow working on market mechanisms to reward farmers who practice conservation, the survey was music to my ears. Read More »

Posted in Carbon Market / Tagged conservation finance, Encourage Capital, ESG investing, finance, impact investing, private capital, socially responsible investing, SRI investing, sustainable agriculture, Sustainable Development Goals, Working Lands Investment Fund | Read 2 Responses

New project guarantees payment for growers who implement conservation measures

By Rebecca Haynes / Twitter profile / Published: October 3, 2016

Arkansas rice farmers participating in agricultural carbon markets. Credit: Adam Jahiel

Early adopters of innovative land-based conservation measures are rarely given an adequate reward for participating in agricultural carbon markets. But that’s all about to change, thanks to a nearly $1.2 million USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) that will leverage private capital investment into agricultural carbon offset practices and ensure that producers are paid for their efforts.

These efforts will guarantee the sale of at least 100,000 tons of credits over the next three years. Here’s how it will work. Read More »

Posted in Carbon Market, Climate Resilience / Tagged agricultural carbon markets, agricultural offset projects, arkansas, BlueSource, california, cap and trade, carbon credits, carbon markets, Carbon Offsets, CIG grant, ClimeCo, conservation, conservation innovation grant, Encourage Capital, grasslands protocol, investment, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Partnerships, private capital, purchase agreement, USDA, USDA NRCS, Working Lands Investment Fund | Comments are closed

Got grasslands? How to get paid for keeping them intact.

By Rebecca Haynes / Twitter profile / Published: August 30, 2016

Heartland Ranch in Colorado. Credit: Nicole Rosmarino

One year ago this month the Climate Action Reserve, the premier carbon offset registry for the North American carbon market, approved the voluntary grasslands protocol: a landmark opportunity for ranchers to get paid for keeping their land as grazing lands, versus converting it to crops.

And now, the protocol is underway. Today, the Reserve officially listed the first two grassland conservation carbon projects– the first step in the process towards generating carbon credits for landowners.

The Southern Plains Land Trust, directed by Nicole Rosmarino, enrolled more than 15,000 acres in Southeastern Colorado in the first two projects. She plans to enroll 7,600 more acres in an additional project in 2017.

Even though ranchers lose the opportunity to convert land for crop production, the protocol provides landowners with a guaranteed revenue source in addition to what they earn ranching on the land. Nicole will work with a project developer to monitor and report on the status of the Southern Plains Land Trust’s grasslands. We expect they’ll start earning credits in early 2017 that can later be sold on the North American carbon market.

Here’s why you can get paid for protecting grasslands, too. Read More »

Posted in Carbon Market, Climate Resilience, Wildlife Protection / Tagged agriculture, carbon market, climate action reserve, climate change, colorado, conservation, croplands, dust bowl, farming, farms, fertilizer, grasslands, grasslands protocol, grazing, grazing lands, Great Plains, ranchers, Southern Plains Land Trust, sustainable agriculture, USDA, USDA NRCS | Comments are closed

Why grasslands can bring in the green for growers

By Rebecca Haynes / Twitter profile / Published: January 13, 2016

Rebecca Haynes is a High Meadows Fellow with EDF’s Agriculture Greenhouse Gas Markets program.

Next week, hundreds of ranchers, landowners, land trusts, and environmental groups will gather in Stockton, California, for the California Rangeland Conservation Coalition’s annual summit. The event isn’t new, but the enthusiasm from attendees is unprecedented and palpable.

Why such a bustle in the grasses? Because of two recent landmark developments that reward ranchers for avoiding the conversion of grasslands to croplands:

In August, the Climate Action Reserve (one of the offset registries that oversees carbon credit development) approved a new voluntary grasslands protocol that offers payment for conservation activities.
In September, the Climate Action Reserve received a Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) from the USDA to create a pilot grasslands project in coordination with EDF. This project will assist participating landowners in generating carbon credits. If adopted by the California Air Resources Board in the future, these credits could be sold in the California cap-and-trade market.

These two developments are part of a rapidly growing trend that offers landowners payments for conservation measures. Protecting grasslands means big wins for the planet and for ranchers, who have been committed partners in conservation and now have the opportunity to receive additional incentives to protect their landscapes. Here’s how it all works. Read More »

Posted in Carbon Market, Climate Resilience, Wildlife Protection / Tagged california, carbon credit, carbon market, carbon offset, climate change, conservation, cropland, ecosystems, farm, farming, grasslands, grasslands protocol, grazing, greenhouse gases, landowners, Partnerships, rangelands, sustainable agriculture, water quality | Read 2 Responses