Item 4. Defining and Supporting Regenerative Agriculture County Recommendation DRAFT — original pdf

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TEMPLATE FOR BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATIONS BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Austin-Travis County Food Policy Board Recommendation Number: (YYYYMMDD-XXX) (XXX is the agenda item number): Defining and Supporting Regenerative Agriculture NOTE: The “WHEREAS”s should give the background and the “NOW, THEREFORE,” should state what the board is requesting Council to do. WHEREAS, the 2020 Travis County Climate Action Plan prioritizes a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 40% below 2005 levels by 2030; and WHEREAS, the goals and strategies in the Austin/Travis County Food Plan, passed through a Resolution of Support by the Travis County Commissioner’s Court in October 2024, prioritize regenerative agriculture implementation, with reference to regenerative agriculture and food systems occurring 44 times throughout the document; and WHEREAS, the Austin/Travis County Food Plan states that a specific definition of Regenerative food production may need to be adopted to implement strategies under Goal 1, which pertain to agricultural land use (1.1,1.2) and community food systems support (1.6,1.12); and WHEREAS, a more specific definition is contained within the Resilient Farm Planning framework, which utilizes Conservation Practice Standards codified by the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and quantifies the resulting greenhouse gas benefits; and WHEREAS, the Resilient Farm Planning process has seen wide adoption and proof of concept in California for over a decade, with 137 Resilient Farm Plans (called Carbon Farm Plans in California) encompassing 71,440 acres; and WHEREAS, Travis County has previously allocated funds for cheaper and longer leases on county owned agricultural lands if producers adopt regenerative practices, establishing a precedent of county support for Regenerative Agriculture; and WHEREAS, the Resilient Farm Planning process can be also be applied to outdoor spaces such as parks, flood plain, and greenbelts, as well as on residential lots; and WHEREAS, the Travis County Transportation and Natural Resources Office has been tasked with creating a Community Climate Action Plan; and  WHEREAS, the Travis County Agricultural Extension Office provides educational services to the public on how to steward their residential environments; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Austin-Travis County Food Policy Board encourages Travis County to adopt the Resilient Farm Planning Framework and its subsequent NRCS Conservation Practice Standards as the specific definition of Regenerative Agriculture in the County, and to codify this definition in the upcoming Travis County Community Climate Action Plan; and BE IT RESOLVED that the Austin-Travis County Food Policy Board encourages Travis County to train Agricultural Extension Agents in the writing of Resilient Farm Plans, so that they may adapt the framework into educational materials for the general public; and BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the Austin-Travis County Food Policy Board recommends that Travis County allocates funds for the writing and implementation of the Resilient Farm Planning framework on all publicly owned parkland, as well as any underutilized outdoor spaces, potentially utilizing future bond funds for this purpose, at a rate of $10,000 per plan for smaller parks, and $20,000 per plan on larger scale projects. Date of Approval: _____________________________ Record of the vote: (Unanimous on a 7-0 vote, 4-3 vote with names of those voting no listed) Attest: _____________________________________________ (Staff or board member can sign)