San Mateo County is in the process of revising its Climate Action Plan, a roadmap of activities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This update will include a new section on the potential for farms and ranches to be part of the solution to climate change. The Office of Sustainability, Carbon Cycle Institute and the RCD are collaborating to craft the agricultural chapter of the plan.

Agricultural lands can help reverse climate change by pulling carbon from the atmosphere and storing it in soils and plants. This is achieved through land management practices such as hedgerows, windbreaks, cover crops, compost, and no-till production. What’s more, these practices have other ecosystem benefits for our lands, such as erosion control, attracting pollinators, improved forage, and water conservation. This is why the state and the County are looking to agriculture as a way to help them meet their ambitious goals of carbon neutrality.

Over the past few years, the RCD has worked with nine farms and ranches to develop comprehensive plans to store carbon while building soil health, enhancing biodiversity, reducing emissions, and developing climate resiliency. These plans have identified the potential to offset emissions from driving nearly 3 million miles annually! This enormous potential is why the state and the County are looking to agriculture as a way to meet their ambitious goals of carbon neutrality. Read more about these plans here.

San Mateo County has asked the RCD to help get input from the agricultural community to help craft the working lands component of the plan. If you are an agricultural producer, worker, or landowner, we would like to speak with you! We will be hosting a number of virtual events this summer to hold conversations to talk about the Climate Action Plan, climate beneficial agricultural practices, and barriers or needs to expand those practices in San Mateo County.

Help craft recommendations about agriculture in the County’s Climate Action Plan

We presented on agricultural carbon sequestration and emission reduction practices October 2nd   2-3:30PM. Email adria@sanmateorcd.org if you would like to view a recording on this webinar.

Partners:

• Carbon Cycle Institute
• Office of Sustainability

Funders:

• CA Department of Conservation

RCD Contact: Adria Arko