Though there is a lot to accomplish in Regen Foundation’s first year as a nonprofit, our first official focus is the development of Ecological State Protocols, beginning with the No-Till Protocol.
What is an Ecological State Protocol (ESP)? An ESP is an automated algorithmic process that determines a specific ecological change of state. An ESP can be as simple as verifying an increase in vegetation using satellite data, or as complex as quantifying carbon sequestration in the soil. Fundamentally, ESPs are an essential indicator of ecological health, and are used as a condition of agreements to reward farmers for best management practices. Learn more here.
The development of ESPs is a critical step for the global proliferation of regenerative land use practices, reversing climate change, and valuing ecosystem services.
ESPs offer immediate value to:
- mission-driven companies seeking verified ecological practices in their global supply,
- governments and nonprofits seeking verified ecological claims,
- farmers and land stewards seeking compensation for their ecological improvements,
- the scientific community wanting to link practices to outcomes,
- verification agencies looking to streamline their process,
- and myriad other applications.
Why no-till? Till agriculture, a common practice used in conventional farming that regularly uplifts and mixes soil to prepare and cultivate land for crops, is in a downward spiral. Till agriculture leaves land depleted from its natural moisture, nutrients, and productivity, resulting in the farmer needing to use larger amounts of chemical fertilizers to meet the crops needs. Given enough time, the soil will lose its capacity to support healthy crops.
No-till farming — which minimizes soil disturbance, maintains soil cover, and manages crop rotation — has been widely used in crop fields for the purpose of enhancing soil quality and reducing the risk of erosion. As it turns out, no-till farming doubles as a powerful carbon sequestration management practice, revealing an incredible potential of agricultural lands to combat climate change.
Monitoring and encouraging practices that improve soil health and farmer wellbeing is one of the main aims of Regen Network. Under this premise, our team is developing the No-Till ESP to verify no-till farming using remote sensing technology, which will serve as a valuable tool to a broad array of actors. To learn more about the technical aspects of the development of the No-Till ESP, see this article.
Our Commitment to Open-Source: Regen Foundation is committed to open-source technology and science. All research and tools developed by Regen Foundation will be made open source so they can have broad application.
*Data collected for validation of these tools only be shared when the landowners have explicitly given permission to share.
What your donation supports:
- At $15,000 we can complete our general No-Till ESP v1.0
- At $25,000 – $65000 we can start to speciate that to be more specific for particular ecoregions.
- At $65,000 we are able to continue the work to create a set of open crop classifications, and
- At $100k we can create Cover Crop EST v1.0
We have an essential task in front of us which literally cannot happen without a network of committed organizations and individuals to help make it happen. With your help, we are excited to develop Regen Foundation to serve and grow the vibrant regenerative movement.
What is Classy?
Our external donation platform, Classy, is set up through our generous fiscal sponsor, Buckminster Fuller Institute. A leading innovation hub for 30 years now, BFI is dedicated to catalyzing transformative solutions to complex global problems through design thinking and education.
As a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, BFI serves as the fiscal sponsor for Regen Foundation and as a valued co-development partner of the movement toward redesign of the human role on this planet.
If you have further questions about our relationship with BFI, Classy, or other methods of donating or supporting Regen Foundation, please get in touch at office@regen.network.