2023: A Year of Trailblazing Achievements for ESMC and EcoHarvest
In this edition of the newsletter, we highlight some of our major achievements in 2023. We are thankful to our governance, team, members and partners who contributed to the remarkable strides in our program, reaffirming ESMC and ESMRC as a leading nonprofit on environmental stewardship and innovative market solutions.
At ESMC, our goal is to scale carbon and ecosystem markets for the agricultural supply chain. Our validated and verified program provides necessary transparency, credibility and integrity for corporates, producers, and all stakeholders across the supply chain. In 2022, we achieved program validation and verification under the SustainCERT Value Change Initiative for cropping systems in more than half the US regions. This initiative not only validated our approach but also equipped the program for a streamlined annual verification process.
Today, we stand on the cusp of a new chapter. Having completed another comprehensive audit and verification cycle, EcoHarvest will continue to generate verified soil carbon removals and greenhouse gas reduction impacts for Scope 3 agri-food and supply chain reporting. Verified outcomes through Eco-Harvest align with science-based mitigation targets and the requirements of standard setting bodies. For ESMC-member reporting companies, EcoHarvest offers a reliable metric to gauge environmental improvements and make valid claims towards achieving science-based commitments.
Non-Profit Trust and Integrity: EcoHarvest’s MMRV System
The verification process includes an in-depth review of EcoHarvest’s underlying digital architecture, including the end-to-end data flow and our measurement, monitoring, reporting, and verification (MMRV) system. The vision and rigor of EcoHarvest’s program sets it apart, reflecting years of meticulous work and unwavering dedication to the highest standards of environmental accountability.
Advancing Resilient Agricultural Supply Chains: EcoHarvest’s Co-Investment and Co-Claiming Model
Verified scope 3 outcomes support collective success via EcoHarvest’s co-claiming and co-investment models. The models enable the credible sharing of carbon and GHG benefits, enhancing the return on investment for each stakeholder and delivering on ESMC’s collective approach towards achieving climate goals.
Shared Success through Co-Claiming
Co-claiming in EcoHarvest supports shared progress by allowing multiple partners to credibly share outcomes. We ensure that every contribution towards sustainability is acknowledged and valued and not double-counted. This model is made possible by calculating commodity-specific emissions factors at each stage of the product life cycle across the impact chain, allowing for accurate and equitable allocation of environmental impacts.
EcoHarvest Projects See Significant Growth and Maturity
The EcoHarvest program launched in 2022 and supports more than 20 crops and crop rotations. The launch of our grazing systems and dairy programs in 2024 will build on our program and expand our impact across new commodities and regions.
Ag Data Transparent Certification Award
We are proud to announce that in December 2023, Eco-Harvest was awarded Ag Data Transparent Certification, underscoring our bedrock commitment to transparent program operations that protect producer data. ESMC’s EcoHarvest market program is designed to work first and foremost for producers, and ADT certification highlights that data collected on the farm through EcoHarvest is protected and used to benefit producers.
Commitment to Inclusion and Racial Justice
ESMC hired Doug Adams in 2023 to serve as the Manager for Diversity & Inclusion and lead ESMC’s programmatic and organizational initiatives for inclusion & racial justice (IRJ). Doug relaunched ESMC’s monthly IRJ Working Group that engages ESMC members & industry stakeholders. As part of EcoHarvest, ESMC successfully enrolled 400 acres of cotton on Black-owned Bridgeforth Farms in partnership with Forum for the Future & the US Cotton Trust Protocol. Additionally, ESMC launched partnership-driven underserved producer outreach efforts through strategic engagement with TAD Consulting, the National Black Growers Council, Freedmen Heirs Foundation, Latino Farmers and Ranchers International, and the National Indian Carbon Coalition.
Science and Research Underpins all our Work
2023 has been an eventful year for our research arm, Ecosystem Services Market Research Consortium (ESMRC). We hired two new PhD scientists, Drs. Chris Smallwood (Chief Scientist) and Will Lytle (Research Director), who bring a wealth of experience and skills to guide our research and development work. We launched four new technical working groups exploring soil, water, grazing, and biodiversity, engaging members and exploring strategies to improve Eco-Harvest program offerings in these critical areas. The Working Groups are actively mapping pathways to operationalize grazing and biodiversity programming, with many exciting ideas under discussion. The working groups are helping us refine our strategies for soil sampling and improve our capabilities for water quality and water quantity outcomes. We look forward to continuing these vibrant discussions in 2024, and welcome new participation from our member organizations who would like to engage.
We released eight new reports in 2023 which explore valuable ideas for soil sampling, conservation funding prioritization, and for supply and demand of ecosystem services in the Western Range.
ESMC was an invited speaker and engaged in multiple professional events in 2023 to share our work and thought leadership in ecosystem services markets.
Many updates continue to occur in ESMRC as the technology for quantifying ecosystem services impacts progresses at a staggering rate. Our team of experts will continue working hard to bring forward the best offerings in a scientifically robust and scalable program that rewards farmers and ranchers to implement new practices that benefit society.
