Marin RCD's Carbon Farming Program

In our Carbon Farming Program, the Marin RCD provides farmers and ranchers with financial and technical assistance for the planning, design, and implementation of carbon beneficial practices.

• • • Carbon Farming: Design and Implementation Page
    • Carbon Farming: CDFA Healthy Soils Page

What is Carbon Farming?

All plants naturally absorb and store atmospheric carbon as they grow through the process of photosynthesis. Some portion of this carbon migrates from the plant roots into the surrounding soil in other organic forms. Depending on how the plant and soil is managed (or not), the carbon can remain in the soil in a stable state—that is, become sequestered within the soil. The phrase ‘carbon farming’ means implementing farming practices that capture and hold carbon in vegetation and soils and/or reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon farming includes small or large-scale practices – like implementing no-till cropping, prescribed grazing, agroforestry, or installing an anaerobic methane digester. Carbon Farming practices can also lead to improvements in soil health, water holding capacity, crop and forage productivity, water conservation, on-farm habitat, biodiversity, and climate resiliency.

Soil Organic Carbon

Carbon which is stored in soil is an incredibly important part of the wider carbon cycle which is a fundamental part of life on earth. ‘Soil organic carbon’ (SOC) – the amount of carbon stored in the soil – is a component of soil organic matter and is the basis of soil fertility. SOC releases nutrients for plant growth, promotes the structure, biological and physical health of soil, and is a buffer against harmful substances. A 1% increase in soil organic matter - a majority of which is carbon - will hold 20,000 gallons more water per acre!

What is Carbon Farm Planning?

Carbon Farm Planning combines traditional whole-farm planning and natural resource assessment with up-to-date climate science to identify practices that a land steward can implement to increase carbon sequestration and reduce greenhouse gas emissions on the farm. Marin RCD and our partners work with land stewards to create site-specific Carbon Farm Plans that prescribe applicable NRCS Conservation Practices. Climate benefits of implementing the proposed practices are then quantified using GHG planning and modeling tools including COMET Planner and COMET Farm.

Once completed, Carbon Farm Plans can serve as a foundation from which Marin RCD and our partners can work with a land steward to provide financial and technical assistance for the design and implementation phases. Carbon Farm Plans may also be living documents that are updated as land-bases change hands, a producer’s goals shift, or practices are implemented and new opportunities arise.

Carbon Farm Plan templates are available for rangelands, vineyards, orchards and forests on the carbon farming webpages of the North Bay RCDs, linked below:

Napa RCD
Sonoma RCD
Mendocino RCD
Gold Ridge RCD

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