Sustainable Agriculture

Since the mid-1970s, TNC has been working on Maryland’s Eastern Shore to protect some of the state’s most iconic habitats. During that time, TNC built a reputation of trust and respect with local farming communities.

Working with Farmers

Restoring clean water and healthy habitats in the Chesapeake Bay means engaging with Maryland’s largest industry—agriculture.

Agriculture is also the largest contributor to water pollution in the Bay and its tributaries. Rainfall hitting farm fields carries away fertilizers and sediment that degrade the Bay’s ecosystems. Farmers understand this and are becoming increasingly willing to adopt conservation agriculture practices that are good for business and the environment.

In Maryland and across the Bay watershed, TNC works with farmers, landowners, and their trusted agribusiness advisors to support the increased adoption of conservation practices that improve water quality for the Bay and habitat for wildlife. This has been a focus of TNC in Maryland for the past decade.

In 2019, we formalized relationships with four influential agribusinesses that provide equipment, fertilizer and consulting services to farmers across the Delmarva Peninsula. These four new companies expand our portfolio of agribusiness partners to 10 in the state of Maryland. These partnerships will continue to rapidly expand soil health and nutrient stewardship practices on Delmarva farms, resulting in a healthier Chesapeake Bay. Hand-in-hand with these agribusinesses, we enrolled more than 2,100 acres of Delmarva farmland in advanced practices in 2019.

Scaling Sustainable Agriculture   

Our work with agricultural partners isn't limited to the Eastern Shore. Around the world TNC is fostering innovations in technology, collaborating with agricultural communities and agribusinesses, and promoting policies that enable sustainable framing practices.

TNC is making important investments in growing our sustainable agriculture program in China, the world’s most populous country. Agriculture is a vital industry in China, employing over 300 million farmers. For context, that’s roughly the entire population of the United States.

Improving efficiencies and reducing the environmental impacts of the agricultural industry in China will be a huge win for people and nature. However, China is behind the U.S. when it comes to the widespread adoption of sustainable farming practices. To accelerate the adoption of these practices in China, Ying Li and Nan Zeng, leaders of TNC’s China Ag team, recently spent two weeks touring U.S. farms with local TNC staff and partners.

Ying and Nan’s first stop was Harborview Farms in Rock Hall, Maryland where they learned about precision nitrogen application, cover crops and soil health from farm owner/operator Trey Hill and agribusiness partner Mike Twining of Willard Agri-Service.

Freeing a Trapped River

Surrounding our Delmarva agricultural communities are fragile and important wetlands that help filter water as it flows from the farms to the Bay and its tributaries. We are using science to restore wetlands and floodplains to filter water and allow water to flow more naturally across the landscape.

Much of our work is focused along the 73-mile long Pocomoke River, which drains water from four Delmarva counties. In the mid-20th century, an 18-mile section of the Pocomoke River was dredged and channelized, disconnecting the river from thousands of acres of floodplain.

Outside a river’s main channel, water spreads out and is slowed by vegetation.  Sediment settles out of the water, and nutrients in the water are used by plants and trees in the floodplain. This natural process helps to reduce erosion and improve water quality.

In 2017, we marked the completion of phase one of one of the largest ecological restoration efforts in Maryland’s history. We restored more than 1,900 acres of floodplains along the Pocomoke River, a key tributary to the Chesapeake Bay. In 2018, we added to that number by restoring more than 1,000 acres of floodplain wetlands in the Pocomoke and Nanticoke River watersheds.  

In 2019, we restored 350 acres of degraded wetlands, which will improve water quality and habitat for wildlife and for people who depend on a healthy Bay ecosystem. The scale and approach of our wetland restoration work in Maryland has become a case study for the region. In 2020, we will work with our colleagues in Virginia, Pennsylvania and Delaware to identify new opportunities to replicate the best practices we have established in Maryland.

PARTNER SPOTLIGHT

The Nature Conservancy and The Delaware Maryland Agribusiness Association joined forces to convene the Delmarva Conservation Partnership. This unique public-private collaboration brings together over 30 groups - including conservation organizations, agribusiness, government agencies, and the scientific community - to advance nutrient management practices and to strategically protect and restore wetlands.

With initial funding provided through a $10M partnership with the Natural Resource Conservation Service and a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Delmarva Conservation Partnership committed to achieving the following 5-year goals:

• Improve nutrient management practices on 37,000 acres of farmland
• Protect 1,500 acres of natural filters including wetlands and buffers
• Eliminate 300,000 pounds of nitrogen delivered to local waterways each year
• Eliminate 10,000 pounds of phosphorus delivered to local waterways each year
• Eliminate 20,000 pounds of sediment delivered to local waterways each year

Contact

Amy Jacobs
Agriculture Program Director
Email: ajacobs@tnc.org