Pamela Posey of Harpos Organics is revitalizing soil health on two acres of walnut trees that have been farmed for more than 40 years. Since her December 2017 purchase of the property, located on the urban edge of Chico, California, Posey has managed the land using healthy soil management practices. In her quest to restore the property from the ground up, Posey turned to the Healthy Soils Program and received a $8,860 grant from California Climate Investments with a $1,500 cost share to achieve her goals of improving the health of the soil and providing increased biodiversity.

“The project will benefit the environment in several ways,” Posey said. “Significant carbon sequestration will be achieved by planting cover crops, applying compost, and planting hedgerow and windbreak plants.” She noted additional benefits such as increased water filtration in changing orchard floor management; improved air quality by reducing dust and eliminating mowing with permanent ground cover; and improved ecosystem services including avian, wildlife, beneficial insect, and pollinator habitat.

“Minimizing the need for expensive equipment by minimizing the need for regular mowing, supporting beneficial insect habitat, reducing the need for pesticides, and diversifying the cropping pattern, as well as buffering the parcel from neighboring activities will enhance the sustainability of this small parcel,” Posey explained.

Pamela’s Healthy Soils project is designed to create an agricultural parcel that is productive as well as sustainable. Increased biodiversity will enhance the walnut production and increase the viability of adding other crops in areas where the walnut trees have died or have been removed. Much of the production will be sold at local farmers’ markets and at an on‑farm stand.