DESCRIPTION
Soil health is rarely addressed in a holistic manner yet it is key to our hydrologic, habitat, water quality, and agricultural health. In a changing climate where these functions are even more important for resilience of ecosystems, this program will develop and implement a holistic soil health program on agricultural lands throughout Snohomish County. Goals of the program are to reduce runoff from working lands, increase resilience to climate change, and increase productivity through outreach, education, technical assistance, payments for practices, and implementation assistance. It will include a focus on underserved communities of farmers including small-holder immigrant farmers and Hmong farmers. Removing financial and technical barriers for farmers will result in implementation of practices such as cover crops, no-till, agroforestry, crop rotations, mulching, pasture management, and perennial establishment.