Carbon is the fundamental building block of life. This element has gotten a bad reputation because carbon emissions from fossil fuels have detrimental effects on the environment and are a leading cause of climate change. The problem is not carbon itself, but imbalance caused by the disruption of the natural cycle of carbon on this planet. An essential part of reversing the detrimental effects of climate change lies in restoring the balance of the carbon cycle.
In 2007, Marin Carbon Project set out to create a model for American communities to help rebuild soils through agricultural practices that enhance soil carbon sequestration. The Carbon Project, started by Marin Carbon Project Co-founders John Wick and Peggy Rathman in 2015, joined with People Food and Land Foundation (PFLF) in 2017.
With financial support from the Jena & Michael King Foundation, Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, and others, the Carbon Project works to replicate and adapt the model for regenerative agriculture developed by Marin Carbon Project through the creation of “communities of practice” in strategic geographies throughout California and the western United States.
A “community of practice” is a replicable and flexible framework that centers around the farmer or rancher and aims to shift the regional culture, local and state policy and financial incentives within which producers work so that they may shift practices to manage for soil health and on-farm productivity. This grassroots model is based around educating and linking a group of stakeholders that are already in place across the American landscape including traditional agricultural technical service providers like University Extension, Conservation Districts and Natural Resources Conservation Service offices and academic research institutions, climate change, zero waste, food policy advocates, and city and county governments.
A community of practice works to support a shift in the agricultural system from the ground up by building education, economic sustainability, and political power through the cooperation of urban and rural stakeholders. A community of practice provides the following core functions: supporting a leading producer to showcase success, demonstrations and field trials, on farm tours, producer, public and politician education on the carbon cycle, long term provision of technical assistance and the development of a local, affordable and quality compost market.
“The Carbon Project works to identify trusted leaders and champions in local communities and provide early stage start up support via mobilizing financial resources, setting up scientific field trials, assisting in project design and strategy, and supporting the development of partnerships and coalition development between core stakeholders.” -Calla Rose Ostrander, Project Director
In 2018, The Carbon Project joined forces with Nerds for Earth , a collaboration that led to new alliances with grassroots organizations and advocate Steven Keilti that resulted in the creation of the Soil Health Policy Map in 2019 to showcase information on state level soil health policy.
To learn more about lessons learned in the development phase please, see Carbon 180’s report or watch this you tube video( by Santa Barbara based Community Environment Council)