PLANNING FOR RESILIENCE ON YOUR FARM

There’s good news: planning for climate resilience is possible for every farm. This full-day workshop offers a clear conceptualization of climate stressors, our vulnerabilities to these stressors, and how each farmer can develop his/her ability to better cope with stressors. This workshop builds on work by two pioneers of the agroecology movement, Clara Nichols and M. Altieri. It offers a clear self-assessment and planning framework that helps farmers identify their individual vulnerabilities and prioritize coping strategies for increased resilience at farm and at community level.

BARN ACADEMY: REGENERATIVE IMMERSION

Biosphere regeneration builds climate resilience. This two-day immersion offers the opportunity to broadly learn about the science of climate change, the psychology around coping with climate grief, and activist options to overcome societal paralysis. The content of the Barn Academy can also be offered as series of workshops. For more information, please visit our dedicated website.

NARRATIVES AROUND CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate Change is a complex issue. It is physically more complex, probably, than any other headline topic. Socially, it seems to mess with all of us – and confront us in our very identity. Not surprisingly, the public responds mainly psychological: Denial, false truths, polarization, and policies that give the impression of doing something, while mainly cementing the Status Quo. I studied Climate Change and Earth System Sciences in 2002 in Germany, under Hans Schellnhuber. He founded the discipline of Earth System Sciences, was instrumental in shaping the IPCC, coined terms like Tipping Points and Carbon Budget. He was later ostracized from political processes for exposing ill-designed government policies that were ineffective, and creating a sense of urgency that was uncomfortable (his successor Johan Rockström is now a public speaker).

Based on my personal experience in Climate Change work, I talk about the difficulty of seeking “truth” in a scientific field that is characterized by complexity and uncertainty, split between greenhouse gas physics and biosphere self regulation, and politically appropriated to either deny the very fact of global warming, or promote policies that are pretty useless but help calm our consciences.

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KARST AND DRINKING WATER

Along the entire Niagara Escarpment, rural homeowners rely on private wells that draw groundwater from Karst and Fractured Bedrock aquifers. Many of these aquifers are barely covered with soil: the protective overburden layer is often two feet thin or less. With a shift in agricultural land ownership along the intensification of agricultural practices, the numerous historic severances put the drinking water of thousands of homeowners at risk.

This talk explains the threat from a confluence of three risk factors, and draws on case studies from other regions to offer paths forward. It also gives an overview of potential community actions and how to utilize the existing regulatory framework for seeking justice for homeowners, while also recognizing the rights and requirements of the agricultural sector.

Please also review my extensive blogs on this topic.

CLIMATE AND BIOSPHERE

The Earth’s climate system depends on the regulating function of the biosphere. While fossil fuel emissions must be reduced, I advocate that more attention is given to these biosphere functions: the soil sponge, vegetation and animals, and the small water cycle. Humans can regenerate the biosphere and rebuild landscape resilience to climate change. A series of talks offer a hopeful message that is much needed in today’s world, with many intervention points for communities and planners.  Please review details and topics here.

COLLABORATIVE LOCAL FOOD MARKETING

Collaborative marketing is an exciting third path between wholesale and direct marketing. What options for collaborative marketing exist, and how can your group get started? These questions not only depend on your products and markets, but also on the skills and preferences of an emerging group.

REBUILDING FOOD SYSTEM INFRASTRUCTURE

Food systems require scale-appropriate value chain infrastructure that supports farmers where they are at. I believe that a core task of communities and the public sector is to aid rebuilding this infrastructure and remove structural barriers to a re-emerging agriculture of the middle.  This talk offers insights and examples based on the experiences in own projects and past clients, with the goal of incentivizing a cautious and contextualized rebirth of an agriculture of the middle.

WHOLESALING MEAT

Even though the production of regenerative meat is price competitive to conventional practices, farmers struggle getting their meat to markets. Especially for marketing through short value chains, farmers must find ways to ensure consistent processing quality.  This talk builds on several business planning initiatives with organic and regenerative farmers and highlights barriers and strategies how to address these.