Healthy Soil Alliance (Northern California Pilot)

Mission

The mission of the Healthy Soils Alliance (HSA) is to carry out scientific research in community settings and communicate the findings for global impact. HSA research will focus on food security and resilience, urban farming and sustainable agriculture. We will conduct collaborative research by bringing together expertise from universities and non-profit groups, and offer learning opportunities for youth through participation in STEM programs. By communicating the results of scientific research, HSA will empower the community to bring about change and achieve healthier soils through water retention, pollution remediation and carbon sequestration.

Vision

The Vision of the Healthy Soils Alliance (HSA) is to change the way the world grows food by measuring and demonstrating the benefits of sustainable agriculture. We aim to:

Develop scientific knowledge about the effective use of biochar and other sustainable agriculture practices

Provide opportunities for local communities to participate in, and learn from, science-driven investigations

Communicate research findings through a variety of channels to reach people of all levels of scientific knowledge in all parts of the community

Expand the project from two initial demonstration sites to include sites across the globe, and incorporate results from different environmental conditions

Generate actionable data and make this available to policy and decision makers and the wider community

Healthy Soil Alliance (Northern California Pilot)

Core organizations

Chemists Without Borders
https://chemistswithoutborders.org/
Providing scientific expertise and administration

University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources
https://ucanr.edu/
Providing authority, access to local sites, and assisting with white paper publishing

SF SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives)
https://sanfrancisco.score.org/
Providing support in operations and business development

SF Civic Hub
https://www.civichub.us/
Providing support in networking, government relations, and technology

Supporting organizations

Fort Ross Conservancy
https://www.fortross.org/
Providing nonprofit consulting and administrative support

Pestec
https://www.pestec.com/
Providing site access, warehousing, tools, and materials

Corigin Solutions
https://www.corigin.co/
Providing materials and scientific expertise

Oregon Biochar Solutions
https://www.chardirect.com/
Providing materials and scientific expertise

Agra Marketing Group
https://www.agramarketing.com/
Providing soil, compost, worm castings, and other materials

Site One in Fremont, CA

Alameda County Water District
https://www.acwd.org/
Providing 1.5 acre site

Local Ecology and Agriculture Fremont (LEAF)
https://fremontleaf.org/
Providing initial earth works, soil amendment, cover cropping, and experiment facilitation

Aspiring Scholars Directed Research Program (ASDRP)
https://www.asdrp.org/
Providing scientific expertise, lab work, soil testing, and publishing

Project: Cultivating roughly an acre of raw land. Adding biochar and custom soil mix

Site Two in Antioch, CA

Pestec
https://www.pestec.com/
Providing site access, warehousing, tools, and materials

Project: Creating growing beds in the former industrial property