Land Stewardship

The Nature Conservancy’s Resilient Watersheds strategy’s goal is to conserve freshwater ecosystems and help communities adapt to climate change by mainstreaming investments in nature-based solutions (NbS) in the water sector. They’re making investments in nature the norm by helping a critical mass of early adopters–utilities, regulators, financiers, corporations, and communities–to implement watershed investment programs in key markets.

Blue Harvest, launched by Catholic Relief Services (CRS) in partnership with Keurig Dr. Pepper and the Inter-American Development Bank, transforms livelihoods and restores land and water resources through Water Smart Agriculture (WSA) in the coffee lands of Central America. Blue Harvest capitalizes on the symbiotic relationship between well-managed coffee agroforestry systems and good watershed management to increase climate resilience, productivity, and profitability for farmers while reducing landslide and flooding risks and contributing to sustainable water access for communities downstream.

The Agroecology Fund (AEF) is a multi-donor fund supporting agroecological practices and policies. The Fund aims to support viable food systems, promote the economic well-being and human rights of small farmers and their communities, and mitigate climate change through low input agriculture featuring sustainable soil and water use. It links organizations and movements that advance agroecological solutions locally, regionally and globally.

Root Capital invests in the growth of agricultural enterprises that support smallholder farmers. They seek out enterprises whose credit needs are too big for micro-finance and too small or risky for commercial banks. They provide loans ranging from $200,000 to $2 million specially tailored to harvest and sales cycles. To help businesses grow over the long-term, they also provide highly-customized training to strengthen their financial management, governance, and agronomic capacity.

Renewable Resources Group (RRG) is an asset management firm specializing in rural land, agriculture, water, conservation, and renewable energy. Since its founding in 2003, the Los Angeles-based firm has developed over 2 million acre-feet of water projects, 1.5 gigawatts of solar energy, and 840 megawatts of wind energy. It has also owned and managed over 100,000 acres of agricultural land.

Since 1992, Land is Life has built a trusted, global network of Indigenous communities, organizations, and leaders founded on the universal right to self-determination. They live for the day when indigenous peoples around the world are able to practice self-determination; when their human, economic, social, cultural, political and territorial rights are recognized and respected; when they are free to speak their languages, maintain their sacred traditions, and continue the work of caring for their ancestral homelands.

Every farmer has a different set of opportunities and challenges. For some, a community of like-minded farmers is all that is needed to revolutionize their operation. The catalyst for others can be markets that reward their stewardship of land. Some need an integrated farm plan that brings clarity and technique to their vision. Mad Agriculture meets farmers on their journey, helping them thrive in making a living growing plants and raising animals in relationship with their place.

Scott River Watershed Council’s mission is to facilitate communication and science-based collaborative solutions for natural resource concerns in Scott Valley.