Grassroots Carbon and Shell Nature Based Solutions working together to support U.S. regenerative land management
Long-term program aims to provide solutions and support landowners in their commitment to adopting regenerative land management in the ranching sector
Grassroots Carbon and the Nature Based Solutions arm of Shell New Energies US LLC (“Shell”) have joined forces with a long-term agreement aiming to empower U.S. ranchers to implement regenerative land management practices on grasslands across the U.S.
Shell and Grassroots Carbon will invest in the regeneration of ranching land across the U.S., combining Shell’s institutional strength, with a team that has spent over a decade researching the potential for soil to capture and store atmospheric carbon, with Grassroots Carbon’s expertise to support landowners’ adoption of regenerative practices to create high-quality carbon credits.
More than 41 percent of U.S. grasslands are used for grazing, accounting for over 350 million acres, but approximately less than 5 percent of that land is managed regeneratively. These lands hold the potential to remove at least 500 million metric tons of carbon dioxide a year.
Regenerative land management is a holistic way of managing working lands, and includes practices such as incorporating pasture rest periods, increasing herd movements, and increasing native grass cover. In addition to enhancing soil health and promoting biodiversity, these practices have tremendous potential to combat climate change by drawing down large quantities of atmospheric carbon dioxide into the soil. By working with U.S. ranchers, Shell and Grassroots Carbon aim to accelerate the adoption of regenerative practices and leverage grasslands’ ability to act as a natural carbon sink.
Adopting regenerative practices can require financial investments and involve a learning curve. As part of the relationship, livestock producers will be incentivized to participate in soil health programs through the creation and sale of high quality carbon credits. Ranchers will also be offered access to a network of leading agricultural and environmental experts, including a partnership with Understanding Ag, which will provide 1:1 guidance on effective regenerative practices and ensure adherence to environmental and sustainability standards.
“Managing land and livestock regeneratively has impacts far beyond just carbon drawdown,” Grassroots Carbon founder Dr. Henk Mooiweer said. “The solution to solve many of our climate problems is literally right under our feet. When ranchers implement these practices, the benefits to the ecology and biodiversity are even more important than carbon storage. It creates a real change. Healthy soils can store 10 times more water than less healthy soils, and biodiversity, birds, insects, wildlife and vegetation all return.”
Brad Tipper, who recently joined Grassroots Carbon as CEO, added, “Our relationship with Shell represents a powerful step toward a more resilient and sustainable future for the passionate community of ranchers across the United States, paving the way for a better future for us all. Carbon credits are the currency by which we can incentivize regenerative land management practices, improve the productivity of American grasslands, support the overall health and well-being of our cattle and ultimately increase consumer awareness and demand for grass-fed, pasture-raised livestock. This agreement has the potential to help contribute to society’s climate goals while supporting ranchers —one of the largest communities in the United States. With this commitment from Shell we are uniquely positioned to accelerate our commitment to the U.S. ranching community and we look forward to welcoming new ranchers to our project in the coming years.”
For more information about working with Grassroots Carbon please visit www.grassrootscarbon.com