Cultivating Commerce supports sustainable local agriculture and natural resource-based entrepreneurship in the Northern California counties of Lake, Marin, Mendocino, and Sonoma.

Cultivating Commerce is the new initiative of the North Coast Resource Conservation and Development Council, a 501(c)(3) non-profit.  We are a community-based organization that helps people protect and use their agricultural, natural, economic, and social resources in ways that improve their area's environment, economy, and quality of life. 

Through our partnerships and membership expertise, we bring together people, needs, concerns, opportunities, and solutions to foster entrepreneurship through sustainable use of agricultural and natural resources of our four member counties.

Learn about some of our recent projects!

• We funded a detailed economic analysis of the potential for an environmentally sound biomass power plant near Fort Bragg, California.

• We partnered with Partners for Sustainable Pollination to foster habitat enhancement for honeybees and native pollinators through the "Bee Friendly Farming Initiative", which connects caring growers with aware consumers, benefiting pollinators and biodiversity as a whole.  We have sponsored pollinator habitat and insectary hedgerow planting workshops.

• We joined with the Redwood Forest Foundation, Inc. in a project that hopes to demonstrate commercial viability of small-scale thermo-conversion of woody biomass to agricultural grade charcoal (biochar)--an innovative solution to the management of excess forest fuels.

• We are involved in a regional food supply initiative funded by USDA Rural Development to increase regional food supply and infrastructure such as cold storage, local processing, brokerage services, and commercial kitchens.

• We worked with organizations to provide technical assistance and funding for rainwater collection systems, and have held rainwater harvest demonstrations.