Daniel Hernández, professor of biology, has received a subaward through the USDA NRCS Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program. Led by the Regenerative Agriculture Alliance, “Climate-Smart Chicken and Feed: Scaling Climate-Smart Grain and Poultry Commodity Production as a System-Level Climate Solution for the Midwest” will support efforts to scale climate-smart commodity production through diversified grain rotations and an agroforestry-based regenerative poultry system. The project partners tribal nations, immigrant-serving organizations, and other partners to promote opportunities for underserved producers. Throughout the five-year project, Prof. Hernández will oversee research efforts to measure and analyze greenhouse gas fluxes, soil macro- and micronutrient availability, and the carbon sequestration potential of these climate-smart agricultural practices.
Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities is a pilot program that aims to support partnerships between “a diverse range of farmers, ranchers, and private forest landowners” and external entities, including but not limited to businesses, institutions of higher education, Native American Tribal organizations, and nonprofit organizations. Projects funded through this program must focus on climate-smart commodities, defined by USDA as “an agricultural commodity that is produced using farming, ranching or forestry practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions or sequester carbon.” To date, the program has funded 135 projects across 55 states and territories.
