Climate Action Plan Overview
Bennington County is experiencing a convergence of longstanding and emerging land management challenges, including increasingly erratic and severe weather, persistent soil degradation linked to historical land use, heightened flood and drought risk, reliance on imported food, and diminishing farm viability. These conditions threaten the ecological integrity of the region and jeopardize the economic and social sustainability of our agricultural communities.
These challenges were brought into focus through the Locally-Led Process conducted by us here at the BCCD. Through community forums, landowner surveys, partner listening sessions, and technical workgroup analysis, local stakeholders voiced their concerns related to unpredictable weather events, rising flood risks, growing food insecurity, and the tenuous economic outlook for farms. BCCD’s technical staff and NRCS partners translated these community-identified concerns into a set of formal NRCS resource concerns that now guide the Conservation Action Plan:
- degraded plant conditions
- soil quality limitations
- livestock production limitations
- wind and water erosion
- declining terrestrial habitat quality.
The Conservation Action Plan (CAP) addresses these challenges through a practical and results-driven approach. It proposes contracting 1,000 acres for the implementation of evidence-based agroforestry practices by 2031 with a coordinated, long-term strategy that leverages local partnerships, NRCS programs, and community knowledge to bolster Bennington County’s agricultural economy and natural resources while promoting dependable, self-reliant land use systems.
Why AGROFORESTRY?
The Department of Environmental Conservation states Agroforestry as a fundable Water Quality Improvement Practice. The BCCD in partnership with past years' local working groups chose agroforestry for it's unique ability to holistically reduce all three components of disaster risk (hazard, exposure, and vulnerability).
- Agroforestry’s capacity to increase water infiltration and reduce surface runoff has been shown to significantly mitigate flood intensity and duration, as documented in global assessments and Working Trees research (USDA NAC, 2016; Dobhal et al., 2024). This hydrologic buffering curtails downstream impacts and improves soil moisture retention by altering hydrological cycles, providing critical ecosystem services, and strengthening the adaptive capacities of both natural and human communities (Janzen et al., 2024; Dobhal et al., 2024).
- Agroforestry improves nutrient cycling and soil structure by building soil organic matter and supporting microbial and faunal diversity through tree-crop-livestock systems. Literature shows that tree cover moderates extreme soil temperature fluctuations and enhances evapotranspiration efficiency, providing a favorable microclimate for crops even under extreme heat or drought (Dobhal et al., 2024).
- Agroforestry systems increase food and income stability by producing multiple outputs; food, fiber, fuel, and medicinal products are a few examples, while buffering producers against market and weather-related shocks. Studies demonstrate agroforestry’s capacity to safeguard yield under adverse weather conditions, providing 5–15% higher crop yields and offering alternate harvests from tree components in times of field crop failure (Dobhal et al., 2024).
Additionally, 50 acres of demonstration plots will function as living laboratories and public engagement sites. These areas will highlight real-time benefits of agroforestry: reduced runoff, improved soil conditions, and increased biodiversity; while delivering peer to peer learning and supporting regional replication.
