Healthy Soil through Maximum Biodiversity: Replicable Models for Resilience

Funded by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA), the goal of this project is to improve soil health and biodiversity on five Western Massachusetts farms by implementing a series of new practices that incorporate diverse, native pollinator-supporting vegetation. We aim to demonstrate that enhancing plant diversity and supporting at-risk pollinators leads to healthier soils, increased carbon sequestration, and improved ecosystem function. By focusing on urban, suburban and rural farms, we intend to impact a significant portion of the state's land cover and create replicable models for sustainable land management. Through a robust process of on-site data collection, collaborative design and community engagement, farmers, landowners, youth and community leaders will be educated and inspired to transmit these practices to landscapes and populations across the Commonwealth.

Evan Abramson, MSc is Principal of Landscape Interactions, an interdisciplinary landscape planning and design firm based in Western Massachusetts with a renowned focus on biodiversity and science-based practices. Drawing on his diverse experience as a regional planner, landscape designer, farmer, community organizer, filmmaker and photojournalist, he previously lived and worked in the Bolivian Andes. He was born in New York City.