What is climate-smart agriculture?

Climate Smart Agriculture is comprised of three distinct pillars: increased productivity, enhanced resilience, and reduced emissions. Put another way, climate-smart agriculture is a growing practice that prioritizes food security for local populations, adapts current farming practices to combat climate change, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. 

Climate Smart Agriculture utilizes farming practices and methods that our ancestors relied on to recharge their soil and crops while also embracing new technologies that mitigate the impact of the climate crisis we currently face.

Soil Stewardship

At NicNut Farms, we believe that the health of the soil is critical to the health of our operation, and agriculture everywhere. Prioritizing soil health helps us optimize water filtration, increases biodiversity, reduces erosion, and provides habitat for native pollinators and other organisms living in the soil. Tending to the soil also has benefits for the operation – increased yields and a significant return on investment.

Pollinator Health

We are living in a critical time in which pollinators worldwide are facing historic challenges. Of all fruits and vegetables worldwide, 75% are pollinated by bees. That is, three out of every four fruits or vegetables are produced thanks to the pollination of a bee. Sadly, bee populations are dropping worldwide due to lack of biodiversity, disease, and airborne pathogens. If things don’t change, we are headed for an unprecedented food crisis. At NicNut Farms, we make every effort to care for our pollinators. By planting nutrient-dense cover crops, we provide extra forage to feed bees. We eliminate airborne pathogens by scheduling applications during the night when bees sleep. We are also working alongside industry stakeholders in the development of self-pollinating tree varieties to reduce stress and travel of working bees.

Water Conservation

There is a saying among farmers: Whiskey is for drinkin’, water is for fightin’. We realize that water conservation should be prioritized for everyone, farmers included. To safeguard the future for all, we conserve our water using every available practice and method. By utilizing micro-irrigation, we make sure every drop of irrigated water serves a purpose. By planting cover crops, we increase the ability of the soil to retain water. When an orchard matures beyond bearing years and needs to be pulled out, we recycle the orchard back into the ground, increasing organic material. This increased organic material also increases water retention. With a modern irrigation system, we test various soil pressures in our orchards to ensure irrigation only occurs when and where it is needed. We use our water to feed, not to waste.

  • Not exactly. Regenerative farming refers to specific practices associated with building soil health. Usually, this involves the use of cover cropping, reducing, or eliminating tillage, reduction of any synthetic fertilizers or pesticides, and incorporating livestock for grazing. Certainly, regenerative farming practices would be included in climate smart agriculture, but climate smart agriculture has added practice layers of food security/stability as well as optimized crop production.

  • No. We are technically “conventional”. However, we reduce or eliminate chemical applications, increase soil biodiversity, and protect pollinators. We hope to complete the certification process in the next five years.

  • Our blog will be posted soon. You will be able to explore press, interviews, and academic research related to our farming practices. Stay tuned!