Regional climate and agriculture hubs
The RCD regional climate and agriculture hubs seek to scale climate-beneficial agriculture on California’s working lands through the coordinated work of Resource Conservation Districts, The Carbon Cycle Institute, The Climate Center, and their partners.
The vision for the Hubs was an outgrowth of the work of the Carbon Farming Network, initiated by the Carbon Cycle Institute and a handful of RCD partners in 2016, to support the agricultural community in taking an active role in mitigating and adapting to the climate crisis.
The RCD Regional Ag & Climate Hubs were formally established in 2023, with the support of a 3-year grant from the Patterson Family Foundation. Full-time coordinators serve to develop 7 RCD Regional Ag & Climate Hubs across the state, encompassing 47 RCDs with an additional North Central Coast Hub in development. Each Hub is engaged in a unique process of needs and opportunity assessment, capacity building, strategic planning, fund development, policy education, and implementation to facilitate the regionally-informed scale of climate-beneficial agriculture.
What does a hub do?
The RCD Regional Agriculture & Climate Hubs leverage and expand climate-beneficial agricultural partnerships and programs to:
Assess regional needs and opportunities to scale climate-beneficial agriculture through the understanding of our diverse agricultural, ecological, and social landscapes
Expand technical and financial assistance programs and services to support and scale climate-beneficial agriculture
Foster innovation and development of regionally appropriate agricultural climate solutions
Strengthen collaboration among producers, agencies, organizations, researchers, and policymakers