Morgan Hill farm reaping benefits from California healthy soils initiative – CBS News

Report on Sustainable Agricultural Practices and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Executive Summary

Three Feathers Farm, a five-acre organic farm in Morgan Hill, California, serves as a case study in the implementation of sustainable agricultural practices that align with multiple United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Supported by the California Healthy Soils Initiative, the farm integrates traditional and contemporary techniques to enhance environmental health, promote social equity, and contribute to local food systems. This report analyzes the farm’s operations in the context of SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 15 (Life on Land).

Alignment with SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 12 (Responsible Production)

The farm’s core mission directly supports the goal of achieving food security and promoting sustainable agriculture through responsible production methods.

• Local Food Provision: The farm supplies fresh, organic produce to regional community members and a local elementary school, contributing to improved nutrition and access to healthy food (Target 2.1).
• Sustainable Production Systems: As a certified organic operation (2024), the farm employs practices that ensure sustainable food production and build resilient agricultural systems (Target 2.4).
• Resource Management: Key practices demonstrate a commitment to responsible consumption and production patterns, including:
  • Application of approximately 32 tons of compost to enrich soil.
  • Use of cover crops and mulch to maintain soil fertility.
  • Fallowing of land to allow for natural regeneration.

Alignment with SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Communities)

Three Feathers Farm demonstrates a strong commitment to social sustainability by focusing on community inclusion and the preservation of cultural heritage.

• Serving Underrepresented Communities: The farm is dedicated to serving Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities by growing culturally relevant crops used in Mexican and Indian cuisine, thereby addressing inequalities in food access (Target 10.2).
• Respect for Indigenous Heritage: Operating on the ancestral territory of the Muwekma Ohlone tribe, the farm’s operators act as guardians of the land, acknowledging and respecting its cultural significance. This approach aligns with efforts to safeguard cultural heritage (Target 11.4).

Alignment with SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 15 (Life on Land)

The farm’s agricultural methods contribute significantly to climate change mitigation and the protection of terrestrial ecosystems.

1. Climate Resilience and Carbon Sequestration: Healthy soil practices, including composting and the use of cover crops, sequester carbon in the soil, contributing to climate action (Target 13.1). These methods also enhance the farm’s resilience to climate-related challenges.
2. Biodiversity and Ecosystem Restoration: The farm actively promotes biodiversity and protects life on land through several key initiatives (Target 15.5):
   • Hedgerows: The planting of living fences using native plants like roses and milkweed creates new habitats for wildlife.
   • Pollinator Support: These hedgerows, along with six managed beehives, support crucial pollinator populations and beneficial insects.
   • Soil and Water Conservation: The established practices control soil erosion and water runoff, preserving the integrity of the land and its resources.

1. SDGs Addressed in the Article

• SDG 2: Zero Hunger

  The article focuses on sustainable agriculture, food production, and improving soil quality. The farm’s mission to provide produce to a local elementary school and community members directly relates to ensuring access to safe, nutritious food and promoting sustainable agricultural systems.

• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

  The farm’s explicit dedication to serving Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities by growing “culturally relevant” food addresses social inclusion and the needs of specific community groups.

• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

  The article highlights the farm’s role in the local community by supplying produce regionally. It also touches on safeguarding cultural heritage by acknowledging that the farm is on the “ancestral territory of the Muwekma Ohlone tribe” and expressing deep respect for it.

• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

  The farm’s practices, such as being “certified organic,” composting, and using traditional farming methods, align with sustainable management of natural resources and reducing waste generation.

• SDG 13: Climate Action

  The article mentions practices aimed at climate resilience and mitigation. The use of hedgerows to “sequester carbon” and the overall goal to “increase the resilience of their farms to any climate challenges” directly support climate action.

• SDG 15: Life on Land

  This is a central theme, with detailed descriptions of practices that protect and restore terrestrial ecosystems. The article discusses creating “healthy soils,” increasing “biodiversity,” controlling “soil erosion,” creating new “habitat” for pollinators and beneficial insects, and using “native plants.”

2. Specific Targets Identified

1. Target 2.4: Sustainable food production and resilient agricultural practices

   The entire article is an example of this target. The farm implements resilient practices like using “cover crops, compost, and mulch to create and sustain fertile soil,” fallowing land to “preserve its fertility,” and intertwining “traditional farming practices with contemporary techniques” to ensure sustainable food production.

2. Target 10.2: Empower and promote the social inclusion of all

   This is identified through the farm’s mission, which “stands as a beacon of dedication to the Black, Indigenous and people of color – or BIPOC – communities.” By growing food that is “culturally relevant to BIPOC and used in Mexican and Indian cooking,” the farm actively promotes social inclusion.

3. Target 11.4: Protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage

   The farmers’ acknowledgment that they are on the “ancestral territory of the Muwekma Ohlone tribe” and their statement that “We are guardians of this site” reflects an effort to safeguard cultural heritage.

4. Target 12.2: Sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources

   The farm’s methods, such as composting “32 tons of compost on our site” and using hedgerows to control “water runoff,” demonstrate the sustainable management of natural resources like soil and water.

5. Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards

   The article explicitly states that “The hope is to increase the resilience of their farms to any climate challenges,” which directly aligns with this target.

6. Target 15.3: Combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil

   The focus on California’s “Healthy Soils Initiative” and the farm’s practices of composting, using cover crops, and planting hedgerows to “control soil erosion” are direct actions to restore soil health and combat land degradation.

7. Target 15.5: Halt biodiversity loss

   The article highlights actions to protect biodiversity. The farm’s landscape has a high “amount of biodiversity” and is not a “single crop.” The planting of hedgerows “creates a new habitat,” supports “pollinators and beneficial insects,” and the presence of “six beehives” further contributes to this target.

3. Indicators Mentioned or Implied

• Indicator for Target 2.4 (Proportion of agricultural area under productive and sustainable agriculture)

  The article implies this indicator by describing the sustainable practices on the “five-acre farm.” The specific practices mentioned (organic certification, composting, cover crops, hedgerows) are metrics of sustainable agriculture.

• Indicator for Target 12.2/15.3 (Amount of organic material used)

  A specific quantitative indicator is mentioned: “We compost about 32 tons of compost on our site.” This measures the farm’s efforts to improve soil health and manage resources sustainably.

• Indicator for Target 13.1/15.3 (Implementation of carbon sequestration practices)

  The article implies this by stating that the hedgerows “sequester carbon.” The presence and length of these hedgerows could serve as a measurable indicator of progress.

• Indicator for Target 15.5 (Habitat creation and support for pollinators)

  The article provides qualitative and quantitative indicators for this. It mentions the planting of “living fences, known as hedgerows” which “creates a new habitat.” It also specifies the presence of “six beehives, with several hundred bees” as a direct measure of supporting pollinators.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: cbsnews.com