up:: [[Venture Initiatives]] tags:: #venture #on/sustainability #on/carbon_sequestration #on/circular_economy #on/permaculture # Integrated Farm-Scale Carbon Sequestration (IFS-CS) ![[findcongwang_isometric_view_of_a_sustainable_farm_illustration__9ae1f2b9-3f01-49b6-a681-eb53433bacdf.png]] The IFS-CS project develops a holistic system for climate resilience at the farm-scale. It is comprised of three major components: 1. *Living Infrastructure*, by using living fences, walls, and natural building methods, CO2 is captured in the form of vegetative growth and is used productively downstream. I.e., [[willow fences]] that are pruned for animal feed and building materials. [Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPR0-06L2ks) 2. *Biocharring*, biomass waste on-site are sent to kilns for pyrolysis and produce biochar. This form of charcoal is an excellent additive to soil mixtures to moderate pH levels; as well as improving compression strength when added to concrete. [Source](https://www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2023/09/engineers-close-a-circular-economy-loop-by-making-stronger-concrete-with-old-coffee-grounds/) 3. *Output Recapture*, farm processes are redesigned align waste streams as viable input for other processes. I.e. barn heating from biochar kilns, greenhouse heating with compost fermentation. > Together, carbon is captured from the atmosphere, and circulated productively within the farm ecosystem, and eventually sequestered into the soil or more permanently as building materials. This integrated approach creates the following project outputs: * *New planting of trees to capture airborne CO2.* * *Less overall farm waste through upcycling of biomass waste.* * *Greater biodiversity and healthier ecosystems.* The system design of the approach applies all of the [[Permaculture Principles]] for sustainable development, in the following ways. 1. [[Observe and Interact]] * Observe that farmers have been composting and mulching as a temperature buffer solution for millennia, and we can also leverage this natural processes to reduce waste. 2. [[Catch and Store Energy]] * Living infrastructure creates more surface area and soil stabilization to capture solar and water sectors. 3. [[Obtain a Yield]] * Living infrastructure are productive of biomass that can be used for feed or raw materials. 4. [[Apply Self-Regulation and Accept Feedback]] * Understanding that our industrialized monocultured farming approach has become unsustainable, and making a positive change in actively contributing to carbon sequestration. 5. [[Use and Value Renewable Resources]] * This system creates a lifecycle for renewable biomass on the farm ecosystem. 6. [[Product No Waste]] * By having biochar processing infrastructure on site, most biomass wastes can be kilned into charcoal for productive use. This additionally can upcycle wastes external to the farm system. 7. [[Design from Patterns to Details]] * Each farm site will have its unique landscape and local ecosystem, we have certified restorative land designers and permaculturists to design a tailored process for each site. 8. [[Integrate rather than Segregate]] * Streamlining different farm processes on site allows waste output from one process to feed into a subsequent process, such as pruning of living infrastructure as animal feed. 9. [[Use Small and Slow Solutions]] * By upgrading farms to be more locally resilient and applying sustainable design in their subsystems, we can capture as much total throughput as centralized, industrialized processes after accounting for waste management. 10. [[Use and Value Diversity]] * Living infrastructure provide habitats for greater biodiversity and a healthier ecosystem. 11. [[Use Edges and Value the Marginal]] * Property boundaries often create an "edge" of transacting between microclimates, living fences provide a robust, self-strengthening that is productive. 12. [[Creatively Use and Respond to Change]] * At the large scale, this project creates individual pockets of environmental resilience, and integrates more tree plantings within existing developments.