Yesterday, the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors disclosed strategies for using land to mitigate climate change. These approaches concentrate on using spaces such as farms, parks, gardens, and open lands for carbon sequestration. According to The Healthy Lands, Healthy People study, well-regulated agriculture, and healthy open spaces could sequester approximately 70 times more carbon than urban development, according to the Contra Costa County report.
In partnership with, the Contra Costa Resource Conservation District and the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE), the county has developed plans for two urban farms in North Richmond and Pittsburg. The plans include strategies to increase the farms' carbon-capturing capabilities. As conveyed by John Gioia, Chair of the County Board of Supervisors, the initiative is keen on "helping urban farmers in our historically underserved communities produce food for themselves and their neighbors”.
The study highlights several climate-smart practices with significant potential to combat climate change. These include nutrient management, urban forestry, alley cropping, and the maintenance and restoration of riparian forest buffers. These approaches seek to enhance soil health, productivity, and the protection of forests and lands near water bodies.
By implementing these recommended practices, farmers could not only improve soil quality and productivity, but also discover revenue generation opportunities through participation in emerging markets for carbon offsets from farms. This, according to Ben Weise, Agriculture Conservation Manager with the Resource Conservation District.
Within the farm plans, potential funding sources for the implementation of these practices are also identified. Furthermore, the Resource Conservation District is examining carbon sequestration opportunities across agricultural lands in the county.
Community engagement for this project involved both in-person and online focus groups, as well as a survey. The process was primarily led by the University of California Cooperative Extension. Kamyar Aram, UCCE Specialty Crops Advisor, recognized that while many land managers currently use climate-smart practices, providing additional incentives might encourage more widespread adoption. It is also suggested that urban farmers would benefit from greater access to funding and urban farmland.
