Carbon Farming
A healthy food system requires a healthy environment, and the Ted Chamberlin Ranch in Los Olivos is making huge strides toward improving environmental well-being in Santa Barbara County. With the help of the Community Environmental Council and Santa Barbara Food Action Plan, the ranch has adopted a series of protocols, like new grazing methods and compost use, to remove carbon from the atmosphere and return it to the soil.
Sixty local ranchers gathered at the Healthy Soils Field Day in October to discuss the astounding economic and ecologic results: a 25% increase in grass growth over 2 years and a projected ability to remove 160,000 tons of carbon from the atmosphere.
By supporting efforts like those at the Ted Chamberlin Ranch, the Food Action Plan is building a more resilient, sustainable, and nutrition-oriented food system through collaboration and community investment.
