RAF Support Leads to USDA Funding
The Regenerative Agriculture Foundation awarded a handful of small organizations a $12,000 grant each in 2022 to support them in putting together a grant application for USDA’s Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities funding. Four of those organizations were successful and will receive up to $48 million in USDA funds! The grant funding is now being distributed and these organizations are gearing up to begin their regenerative agriculture projects.
The Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities funding opportunity had high demand from across agriculture and forestry. Between two funding pools, USDA received over 1,000 proposals from more than 700 entities. Applications were received from all 50 states, tribal lands, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The investment from both funding pools is over $3.1 billion for 141 tentatively selected projects.
RAF Supported Projects
American Sustainable Business Institute
The USDA investment of up to $35 million will allow ASBN and partners to develop solutions to address the unique needs of America’s farmers and ranchers through its Growing GRASS Project. The Growing GRASS Project will enable U.S. producers and supply chain partners to optimize value from regeneratively raised livestock through lowered costs of verification and market access, increased value-added opportunities that more fully utilize the whole animal, and incentives for climate-smart grazing systems that reduce costs, increase resiliency, and deliver environmental and climate benefits.
A Greener World
A Greener World, in close partnership with RAFI-USA, will increase accessibility to regenerative farm practices and markets for small and/or under served producers. Pilot participants will be paid a stipend to cover time spent on climate-smart regenerative farm planning and emissions reduction plan design. Each farm will also have access to incentive payments, dependent on their emissions reductions and specific implementation of Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry practices. A Greener World plans to provide customized marketing support to all project producers. Partners will ensure all outreach and technical assistance efforts are culturally-relevant and assist producers in becoming Certified Regenerative, which allows them to access new climate-smart markets and sell commodities for a higher premium.
Marbleseed (formerly MOSES)
Marbleseed’s project will focus on promoting, measuring, and verifying organic farming practices that organic grain producers can implement, such as robust crop rotations and cover crops, to achieve climate mitigation outcomes across 14 states spanning the upper Midwest to the southeastern United States (Plans to include North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee and Kentucky). Marblseed will work with a range of partners, including Michael Fields Agricultural Institute to promote these types of organic farming practices.
Regeneration International / Regenerative Agriculture Alliance
The project by Regeneration International & Regenerative Agriculture Alliance will support poultry producers who follow diversified regenerative climate-smart grain production methods incorporating small grains, no-till, and cover crops, integrated agroforestry practices. Producers may receive payments to adopt a climate-smart grain rotation for at least three years and for organic climate-smart chicken production. Producers will receive a premium price for chickens, paid by Tree-Range Farms. Multiple strategic partners including tribal nations, immigrant-serving organizations, and other community partners plan to promote the project with underserved producers.
