Mid-Atlantic Climate-Smart Commodities Project: Nature-Based Solutions & Benefit Quantification

The Conservation Innovation Fund (CIF) creates quantifiable water, carbon, and biodiversity “climate assets” to address the regulatory and voluntary stewardship needs of its municipal and corporate partners while supporting climate-smart commodity products. CIF’s Mid-Atlantic Climate-Smart Commodities Project is delivering on the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Partnership for Climate-Smart Commodities grant. The project leads the implementation of nature-based solutions and agricultural best management practices (BMPs) on private property to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while simultaneously delivering critical environmental benefits like catchment-level water quality improvements, water retention, and increased soil health across the Mid-Atlantic region.

CIS provided programmatic insights to ensure CIF and their sub-contractors are aligned on contractual outcomes, compliance, and risk management. CIS’s experience in program development, benefit attribution, and compliance enhanced the overall effectiveness and success of the Climate-Smart Commodities Program, allowing it to maximize BMP spend, accurately track performance factors, and increase scalability.