Restoring Habitat in Agricultural Lands
Marin’s Working Lands by the Numbers:
Approximately 50% of the land in Marin is occupied by farms or ranches.
The average size of a farm in Marin is roughly 500 acres.
The majority of farms and ranches are third- to fifth-generation family-owned operations.
Agriculture in Marin contributes over $100 million annually to the local economy, with milk production dominating at 39 percent.
Ever since the environmental movement began gaining momentum during the 1960s in the Bay Area, efforts have been made to improve the sustainability of practices on Marin’s ranches and farms. Much of this work falls under the umbrella term “carbon farming.”
Plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air and use it to grow, along with water and minerals from the soil. Traditional agricultural practices, such as overgrazing and clearing forests, result in the release of carbon back into the air.
According to the Marin Carbon Project, “It is estimated that as much as one-third of the surplus CO2 in the atmosphere that’s causing climate change has come from agricultural and land management practices.”
Carbon farming practices maximize the rate at which carbon is sequestered from the atmosphere and converted to plant and organic soil material. Some examples of carbon farming include leaving plant residue and spreading compost on fields, as well as rotating grazing animals through multiple paddocks so that grasses can recover.
One example of carbon farming that benefits monarchs is planting hedgerows, rows of year-round blooming plants established on the edges of agricultural operations. In additional to sequestering carbon in the soil, hedgerows provide protected spaces for native milkweed and nectar plants. They also offer sanctuary for insects, birds, and other creatures. This informative booklet, Tending the Edges, describes the benefits of hedgerows on Bay Area working lands.
A variety of public and private organizations work to preserve Marin’s agricultural lands as well as to protect and restore the habitat for beneficial native plants and animals.
Among the most active is the Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT). Click on the link below to learn more about MALT.
Important roles are also played by two Resource Conservation Districts, the Marin Resource Conservation District, and the Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District. The RCDs were developed in the late 1930s and early 1940s to assist landowners with erosion and flood control problems, primarily on agricultural lands. There are now 100 RCDs in California, with an expanded mission that includes watershed planning and management, water conservation and water quality protection on agricultural lands, soil and water management on non-agricultural lands, wildlife habitat enhancement, wetland conservation, irrigation management, and conservation education.
The budget for the RCDs comes primarily from state and county agencies, as well as local foundations and other private sources. They collaborate not only with landowners but also with local agricultural and conservation organizations.
The Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT) purchases the development rights from landowners, ensuring that it remains used for agricultural and ranching. MALT assists with conservation and land managment.
The Marin Resource Conservation District administers funds obtained from government and private foundations to landowners seeking to provide ecosystem benefits to county watersheds. A primary focus of this RCD is the Marin Carbon Project.
The Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District serves Sonoma County and the northern portion of west Marin. Like the Marin RCD, they facilitate land stewardship projects related to ecosystem health, biodiversity, and water issues.