California State University (CSU) Chico Center for Regenerative Agriculture and Resilient Systems (CRARS) is launching the North Valley Food Hub (NVFH) for Climate-Smart Commodities. It is a five-year project funded by a grant from the USDA Partnership for Climate-Smart Commodities program. CRARS will be working directly with up to 100 growers and land managers in the greater Sacramento Valley to incentivize the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices (cover cropping, reduced tillage, habitat restoration, etc.) through direct funding, technical assistance in planning and implementation, and equipment sharing.
The NVFH will also create market channels and facilitate sales of climate-smart agricultural products through the food hub—an online platform connecting growers to buyers—as well as provide logistical support for transportation, cold storage, aggregation, and “last-mile” delivery of produce.
Finally, the data collected and modeled through the project will help demonstrate the regenerative potential of climate-smart agricultural practices to mitigate greenhouse gases and sequester carbon to build healthy soils, healthy food, and healthy communities.
Learn more about the North Valley Food Hub for Climate-Smart Agriculture.
We are offering participating growers
- direct payments of up to $6,000 per year for implementation of regenerative, climate-smart agriculture practices;
- online sales and marketing through the North Valley Food Hub platform;
- post-harvest logistical support, including cold storage and last-mile delivery;
- free and ongoing technical assistance in identifying, planning, and executing practices;
- free access to specialty equipment, including tractor and minimum tillage implements;
- free soil testing;
- membership in the CRARS extensive farmer-to-farmer network; and
- soil health field days and online regenerative ag seminars.
Fill out the form at the following link if you would like to be considered for enrollment as a grower, buyer, or collaborator who wants to stay up to date and be part of the team:
Learn more at our upcoming webinar, March 28, 12:00–1:30 p.m.