For Immediate Release – Solutions from the Land (SfL) is honored to announce it has been awarded a 2024 VoLo Environmental Grant from VoLo Foundation. The $100,000 grant will support the next phase of work with the Florida Climate Smart Agriculture (FLCSA) Work Group, helping Florida farmers, ranchers and foresters adopt circular bioeconomy systems (CBS).
“A huge thank you to VoLo Foundation for assisting us in our efforts,” says Solutions from the Land President, Ernie Shea. “Circular farming can help recover lost resources and solve a variety of challenges farmers and ranchers face. We can create systems that not only grow more food but also improve soil health, mitigate climate change, control pests, protect water quality and boost farm profits—all at the same time.”
VoLo Foundation embraces innovative solutions to complex and co-joined challenges that affect the future of our state and planet. They do this by supporting science-based environmental projects, like this initiative.
“We are proud to support Solutions from the Land in their circular bioeconomy project,” says Thais Lopez Vogel, Trustee of VoLo Foundation. “At VoLo Foundation, we believe in funding projects that create sustainable solutions to pressing environmental challenges. This initiative not only addresses critical issues like water quality and land preservation but also fosters collaboration between diverse agricultural and aquacultural communities. By working together, we can ensure a healthier and more resilient future for Florida’s ecosystems and its people.”
Over the last five years, SfL, FLCSA and the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) have been dedicated to scaling climate-smart agriculture across the state. Through their work, they’ve created a new vision for ecosystem service delivery in Florida–including the development of a cutting-edge artificial intelligence program to quantify such services’ impact on the environment and their recently released call-to-action report Healthy Farms-Healthy Bays: Harmony Between Land and Sea in Florida.
SfL, FLCSA and UF/IFAS will continue collaborating with leading agriculture and forestry organizations across the state, along with the help of a familiar face. FLCSA welcomes back Dr. Scott Angle as UF senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources and leader of UF/IFAS, effective Sept. 6. During his previous tenure as SVP, Dr. Angle consistently supported FLCSA, and he looks forward to re-engaging with the group in this next phase.
“It’s encouraging to see the Florida Climate Smart Agriculture Work Group continue its forward-looking leadership to include an area in which the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering is contributing national expertise,” Angle says. “Circular systems show great potential to enhance the delivery of the ecosystems services from working lands that FLCSA has championed for years now.”
Not only will the next phase support environmental stewardship and economic sustainability in Florida, but Shea underscores that these efforts will also have a global impact.
“Back in 2023, it was projected that only 15 percent of the world’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets were on track,” Shea says. “The world’s farmers have critical roles to play if these ambitious goals are to be met. Our efforts in Florida help us get back on track to meet SDG targets and it can provide a climate-smart ag blueprint for the rest of the world.”
For more information, contact Ernie Shea, SfL president, eshea@solutionsfromtheland.org or 410–952–0123.
