What is the name of your organization?
Plan Conservation LLC
What is the name of your solution?
Ag-based solutions
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
Empowering Navajo farmers and ranchers to obtain ag permits for sustainable land use and production.
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Chinle, AZ 86503, USA
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
USA
What type of organization is your solution team?
For-profit, including B-Corp or similar models
Film your elevator pitch.
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What specific problem are you solving?
In the Navajo Nation, both the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Navajo Nation government mandate that farmers and ranchers submit a conservation plan to obtain grazing or cornfield permits for sustainable land use. A conservation plan is a five-year operational strategy that aligns agricultural activities with the specific characteristics of the land within its designated boundaries. Between the 1940s and 1990s, approximately 20,000 agricultural permits were issued, yet fewer than 1% included a developed conservation plan. These plans, along with court decrees, are essential for legal land use, mandated by the Navajo Nation and the Federal Government (BIA).
My solution is creating these conservation plans by utilizing satellite imagery and field survey data to accurately identify land classifications and landscape features. This approach provides landowners with a comprehensive guide on managing their land and understanding the current costs of their operations based on the distance to resources. My solution is tailoring these plans to factors such as vegetation, climate, precipitation, soils, watersheds, and seasonal patterns, to better develop profitable agricultural strategies. This method employs satellite imagery, field data collection, and rangeland management techniques to conserve grass and water resources effectively.
What is your solution?
I use National Agricultural Imagery Program data at 1 meter resolution, and Digital Elevation Models at 15 & 30 meter resolution imagery, Web Soil Surveys for ecological site descriptions and soil samples to clearly identify everything in one specific area. So for an individual needing a conservation plan, I simply need 1 coordinate to do the entire research and plan creation. With only 1 Google Maps Coordinate, I can then, calculate the distances to water sources and measure the native forage area. Further information is the livestock's weight to estimate the stocking rate of the land and provide cost on hay/feed/vet/seed distribution sites to identify a yearly cost for either a farm plot or livestock care. Additional data includes their monthly field work and establishing a rapport to understand their issues.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
The federal government requires this conservation plan for every single permittee in the Navajo Nation. Permits were first issued in 1940s all the way to early 2000s but covid had taken out multiple generations of people so the problem is the federal government requiring these conservation plans including a court decree where the permittee individual must navigate the court process first. After that they would then need to do an entire conservation plan and navigate through the tribal and federal governmental procedures to achieve their land permit. But with my service after they get their court decree it would only take one day to get their permit. so my solution is recommended by the federal government, the Navajo Nation government, grassroot organizations, community based chapters, hospitals, national farm to school network, USDA, and my favorite, word of mouth. In total I've helped 119 families achieve their grazing permit or their cornfield permit. This has never been done before and all in my first year of business 2024.