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

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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 2022 City of Austin State of the Food System Report indicates that 21% of all greenhouse gas emissions in our community are related to the food supply chain; and WHEREAS, implementing Regenerative Agriculture supports the goals of the Austin Climate Equity Plan, which aims to ensure that by 2030, 100% of Austinites, especially those who are food insecure, can access a pro-climate, pro-health food systems that prioritize regenerative agriculture; and WHEREAS, the goals and strategies in the Austin/Travis County Food Plan, approved by the Austin City Council 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, the Resilient Farm Planning process can be also be applied to outdoor spaces such as parks, flood plain, and greenbelts; and WHEREAS, the City of Austin Office of Sustainability has previously allocated funds for Texas’ First Resilient Farm plan at the Refugee Collective Farm, establishing a precedent of city support for plan implementation; and  WHEREAS, the City of Austin currently lacks a dedicated mechanism to assist with the writing and implementation of Resilient Farm Plans; and WHEREAS, the Austin-Travis County Food Policy Board’s Recommendation Number 20240318-7 urged the City of Austin to allocate funds and create a full-time equivalent (FTE) position to support the implementation of the Food Plan; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Austin-Travis County Food Policy Board encourages the Austin City Council to adopt the Resilient Farm Planning Framework and its subsequent NRCS Conservation Practice Standards as the specific definition of Regenerative Agriculture in the Austin area; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Austin-Travis County Food Policy Board encourages the Austin City Council to allocate funds and explore all available means in order to establish a dedicated interdepartmental management mechanism, such as a dedicated city department or full-time equivalent staff (FTE), to oversee and coordinate urban agriculture efforts and coordinate interdepartmental collaboration between PARD, Austin Water, Austin Energy, Public Works and any other essential City of Austin departments; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Austin-Travis County Food Policy Board recommends that Austin City Council increases grant funding for climate smart agriculture, such as through an expansion of the existing Food and Climate Equity (FACE) grant by $50,000 to include Resilient Farm Planning grants of $10,000 each for 5 agricultural production recipients; and BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the Austin-Travis County Food Policy Board recommends that Austin City Council 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 to work towards the city’s net zero goals utilizing a predictive, quantifiable model. 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)