The Walmart Foundation has announced to provide $2 million as a three-year grant to the Soil Health Institute’s (SHI) US Regenerative Cotton Fund (USRCF) to scale activities of the project and expand the initiative to Alabama and South Carolina, media reported.
The USRCF is a farmer-facing, science-based initiative designed to empower farmers and their advisors with the tools, resources, and networks they need to successfully adopt regenerative soil health systems, with the goal of eliminating one million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) from the atmosphere by 2026.
Kathleen McLaughlin, chief sustainability officer and executive vice president at Walmart Inc and president of the Walmart Foundation, told the media that regenerative soil health systems can provide significant benefits for farmers, food supply chains, climate, and nature.
She also said that adoption of soil health practices remains low and the USRCF’s scientific approach empowers farmers and aligns with the Foundation’s work on regenerative agriculture.
“We are excited to support this ambitious project to support farmers with the resources and tools they need to adopt more regenerative systems and accurately measure the outcomes of these practices for their land and livelihoods,” she added.
Through the USRCF, SHI has initiated work in Texas, Arkansas, Georgia, and Mississippi, where it has established farmer-to-farmer education networks with more than 100 cotton farmers, and delivered 12 education programs.
Cristine Morgan, SHI’s chief scientific officer told that the USRCF is making good progress, and the drought conditions sweeping across the cotton belt this year only underscore the importance of soil health systems to farmers’ livelihoods because they can build drought resilience and increase profitability.
“We feel fortunate to have the Walmart Foundation’s support that will allow us to expand the reach and impact of the USRCF to Alabama and South Carolina,” she added.
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