34 Peter Donovan, the wonders of soil and asking better questions when investing in it

A lesson on soil and all its wonders Welcome to Investing in Regenerative Agriculture. Where I interview key players in the field of regenerative agriculture, people who are scaling up the sector by bringing in new money or scaling up the practises on the ground. If this content has been of value to you and you have the means, please support me by becoming part of my Patreon community: www.patreon.com/regenerativeagriculture Other ways to support my work: - Share the podcast - Give a 5-star rating (if you podcast app allows it) - Or buy me a coffee… or a meal! www.Ko-fi.com/regenerativeagriculture This time I interviewed Peter Donovan, who has been active in the space since he met Allan Savory in 1990! Fascinating article by Peter: https://soilcarboncoalition.org/recognizing-soil-carbon-sponge Take-aways from the interview: - Measurements of carbon is difficult - Peter: Soil carbon the living the dead and the very dead - The best kind of measurement is one that is repeated and is looking at agency - Peter is looking more and more at results not management, as everyone is doing them differently - Good questions vs bad questions - Organic growth and succession of management - Future of agriculture means more people on the land - Focus metrics on water because the benefits are local Example on water benefits: Since 2013 in Charlottesville Virginia, your Storm Water Utility Fee is derived from the amount of impervious surface present on your property. Impervious surfaces include roofs, driveways, road, decks, and parking lots. http://www.charlottesville.org/departments-and-services/departments-a-g/city-treasurer/storm-water-utility-fee The paper we discussed on Summer Fallow: https://massivesci.com/articles/farms-climate-change-crop-rotation-rain-fallow Advice for impact investors, look at: - Land tenure - Long term commitment of the farmers/land managers (this isn’t a short term job) More information on Peter’s work: https://soilcarboncoalition.org http://atlasbiowork.com https://managingwholes.com If you want to receive an email when I upload a new episode, subscribe here eepurl.com/cxU33P The above references an opinion and is for information and educational purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice.