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STAFF REPORT. From San Mateo County Board of Supervisors’ meeting on Tuesday, June 10th, 2025 at 9:00am, as a hybrid meeting. Agenda. Staff Report for Consent Agenda Item #126.
To:Â Honorable Board of Supervisors
From:Â Jasneet Sharma, Director, Sustainability Department
Subject:Â Agreement with San Mateo Resource Conservation District for Carbon Farm Fund
RECOMMENDATION
Adopt a resolution authorizing an agreement with the San Mateo Resource Conservation District (RCD) to design and launch a carbon farm fund that will advance carbon sequestration efforts, for the term of June 10, 2025 through June 9, 2030, in an amount not to exceed $395,000.
BACKGROUND
On October 18, 2022, the Board approved Resolution No. 079264, adopting the San Mateo County General Plan Climate Element and the Community Climate Action Plan (CCAP). As part of the CCAP’s overall emissions reduction target of carbon neutrality by 2040, it sets forth a target to sequester 39,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2e) by 2030 and 166,000 MTCO2e by 2045. To accomplish this goal, the CCAP recommends implementing a funding program to help farmers and ranchers implement and maintain climate beneficial agricultural practices, or carbon farming. The CCAP also has a land management goal to “support ranchers and farmers to plan, implement, and scale climate beneficial practices on the County’s working lands to mitigate climate change and build agricultural resiliency.”
DISCUSSION
The proposed Carbon Farm Fund (Fund) would seek to establish a self-sustaining funding program to support producers in carbon sequestration. The Fund would advance progress on both the CCAP’s carbon sequestration and land management goals.
The proposed agreement consists of three key activities. First, the contractor will conduct extensive research, stakeholder surveying, and fund model analysis, development and testing, to create a Funding Pathways Memorandum with recommendations for a sustainable long-term Fund program. Second, the contractor will develop a complete program design for administering the Fund. Third, the contractor will implement the program and distribute the funds. Each phase will be evaluated by the County before the contractor is given approval to move on to the next phase. The grant fund will be implemented with oversight and approval by the County.
The Sustainability Department released a Request for Proposal (RFP) on June 20, 2024, for a contractor to conduct all aspects of the proposed project: background research, program design, and program implementation. The RFP was posted on OpenGov for four weeks and generated one response, from the San Mateo Resource Conservation District (RCD). Following evaluation by the selection committee, the Department recommended moving forward with RCD’s proposal.
The County Attorney’s Office has reviewed and approved the resolution and agreement as to form.
PERFORMANCE MEASURE
| Measure | Amount sequestered by end of contract period |
| MTCO2e sequestered | 7,900 MTCO2e |
COMMUNITY IMPACT
Work under this agreement will identify and address the agricultural community’s financial barriers to implementing climate-beneficial agricultural practices. The Fund will provide a sustainable model for supporting the agricultural community to help mitigate carbon emissions, provide cleaner air and promote a suite of agricultural practices that bring numerous ecological co-benefits.
FISCAL IMPACT
The contract allocates $195,000 for background research and program design, and $200,000 for grant funding. Funding in the amount of $395,000 is included the Sustainability Department’s FY 2024-25 Approved Budget and the FY 2025-26 Recommended Budget. There is no new Net County Cost associated with this agreement.
More on the San Mateo Resource Conservation District on Coastside Buzz
Author: mdrag
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