Cal State Chico to host ‘Farmland Summit’ on sustainable agriculture
California State University, Chico, is hosting a “Farmland Summit” on July 1, kicking off a string of events spearheaded by the California Natural Resources Agency to discuss nature-based climate solutions.
The summit will focus on educating the community about regenerative agriculture and other sustainable practices and identifying barriers of entry and solutions to those barriers for farmers. Regenerative agriculture is a sustainable farming practice focused on soil health. Some of the goals of regenerative agriculture include capturing carbon in soil and improving water use efficiency.
The event will take place on the university’s 800-acre regenerative agriculture farm and is expected to draw an audience of around 180 to 200 people. California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross and California Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot will both participate. Attendees will also include farmers, university staff, landowners, policy leaders and funders.
The Department of Food and Agriculture and its board have named climate-oriented farming techniques as a priority for the state. In its 2023 plan for California’s next decade of agriculture, the department outlined various goals and strategies for the future of farming to address issues such as climate change, rising costs and land availability. The department already has climate-focused initiatives such as the Healthy Soils Program and State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program.
The eight summits will take place throughout the state and each will cover a particular landscape such as coasts and deserts. For the July 1 farm summit, various sessions will be held throughout the day, led by experts in sustainable agriculture.
Following the summit, Cindy Daley, director of Chico State’s Center for Regenerative Agriculture and Resilient Systems, said a white paper will be written to help develop an action plan. It will cover the topics discussed at the event: barriers, solutions, funding and implementation strategies and partnerships for regenerative agriculture.
“We are super excited ... to make friends and establish strategic plans and priorities,” Daley said. “We want to see some things get done.”
For more details about the event: https://regenerativeag.csuchico.edu/events/farmland-summit-2026/.
