Environmental justice is concerned with ensuring that all people have access to healthy food and a cleaner environment. Environmental justice means that individuals of all income levels and demographics are treated fairly and are involved in the development, decision-making, and implementation of environmental protections, procedures, and policies. As climate change accelerates and natural catastrophes continue to disproportionately harm historically disadvantaged populations, it is critical that everyone has access to the information and resources to make informed decisions and take proactive efforts towards environmental justice.
Here at Farm 2 Facts we believe that there is great value in the collective whole and equality and opportunity for all. Our core values are community empowerment, integrity, and innovation. We want to help you understand and market your farm’s positive environmental and climate impacts. Farm 2 Facts is currently working with diverse stakeholders, including farmers, ranchers, and industry professionals, to develop a scientific data-driven tool that enables decision-making around agricultural environmental impacts.
Ecosystem services, which are benefits provided by our natural ecosystems and environments, are important for farmers, ranchers, and society as a whole. Tracking and analyzing agricultural impacts on the natural environment help us understand the health and productivity of food systems, enabling us to foster sustainable production and consumption of healthy food over the long term. Current carbon measurement tools, which tend to cater to larger-scale, less diversified operations, often fall short in producing meaningful results for smaller and more diversified agricultural operations. In response, Farm 2 Facts is creating a tool that enables smaller and more economically disadvantaged agricultural operations to participate in the same way as their larger-scale counterparts.
Farm 2 Facts’ Ecosystem Services tool translates data into customizable materials that farmers can use to illustrate how they are enhancing the natural environment and feeding our communities. The tool focuses on six key areas of practice: soil health, biodiversity, livestock, infrastructure, alternative power, and transportation. Determining the beneficial relationships between sustainable agriculture and ecosystem services increases systemic success in the food system and long-term societal resilience, equity, and sustainability.
The Ecosystem Services tool provides metrics and marketing materials that can be used to inform decision-making, from farm-level management decisions to consumer-level purchasing decisions to market-level operations. Measuring and communicating ecosystem services can lead to wider adoption of environmentally friendly agricultural practices and food system sustainability and equity.
Many producers of disadvantaged populations and limited resources may face barriers to metric tracking, communication, and marketing resources. Farm 2 Facts’ tool provides a simple, affordable solution for producers to overcome barriers and market their ecosystem services. Watch for an official announcement for the tool’s launch later this summer!
The Ecosystem Services tool captures information in six key areas of agricultural practice.
