Remote Sensing Methodology for Verifying Prescribed Grazing in Perennial Cropping Systems:

Problem Statement 🧐

What’s the problem?

Despite growing evidence of numerous soil health benefits of targeted prescribed grazing in vineyard systems, contracted managed grazing services face critical financial vulnerability, limiting the continuation and expansion of this practice.

Nature-Based Proposal 📑

Our approach:

Our project will build upon preliminary work to develop a satellite verification methodology that can be used to remotely detect prescribed grazing in vineyards inexpensively and effectively.

Development of this open source technology will enable the soil health and ecosystem service benefits of prescribed grazing to be incentivized in new ways, including market-based incentives and potentially also through policy shifts leading to new granting opportunities.

Project Overview 🌍

Our strategy:

In September of 2020, Regen Network and Fibershed partnered on a two-year project focused on improving the adoption and sustainability of targeted prescribed grazing in perennial cropping systems in California. The goal of this project is to develop a low-cost monitoring approach to verify the impact of grazing in vineyard systems and create new financial incentives to support targeted grazing. More information about this project can be found in the Project Abstract and Project Background sections of the original grant proposal.

*LK-vinyrd-Vigilance-03_Full-Resolution (Jeff Tangen).jpg

Shannon Ridge is one participating winery that integrates sheep into their vineyard systems for the agro-ecological and soil health benefits. They use sheep to manage vegetation while reducing or eliminating synthetic chemical use, building soil carbon and ecosystem health.

(Photo by Jeff Tangen, courtesy of Shannon Ridge Vineyard)

Benefits 🌞

Animal Welfare

Environmental Health (Reduced Toxicity)

  1. Decreased pesticide use
  2. Decreased herbicide use/weed control
  3. Fire fuel load reduction

Soil Health

  1. Increased soil carbon sequestration
  2. Increase/improved microbial activity
  3. Improved soil structure/infiltration rates
  4. Increased soil nitrogen/nutrient cycling

Other

  1. Decreased fertilizer use
  2. Decreased equipment use
  3. Decreased water use
  4. Decreased tillage
  5. Improved erosion control

Organization 🌐

Fibershed is a non-profit organization that develops equity-focused regional and land regenerating natural fiber and dye systems. Their work expands opportunities to implement climate beneficial agriculture, rebuild regional manufacturing, and connect end-users to the source of our fiber by supporting strategic grazing, conservation tillage, and other regenerative practices to create Climate Beneficial™ textile supply chains.

TEAM

Project Collaborators 🤝