What We Do
Advancing agriculture's ability to become a solution to climate change.
OpenTEAM, or Open Technology Ecosystem for Agricultural Management, began in 2019 to build a supportive community and technology ecosystem for agriculture and soil health through interoperable tools for land stewards. Led by Wolfe’s Neck Center for Agriculture and the Environment, we act as a convener, technology steward, and facilitator to equip food system leaders with shared knowledge, collaborative frameworks, and open-source, connected technologies to build soil health and climate change resiliency!
Our goals are not simply to create better research and decision tools, but to demonstrate a collaborative approach to data portability & soil health research that will catalyze transformation in agriculture and global systems science.
OUR KEY PROGRAMS
OpenTEAM Progress Update: Year Two in Review
CONVENING COLLABORATORS
Through working groups, Collabathons, and In-Depth Learning Series, we are targeting specific work streams to develop stronger support systems for farmers and ranchers, test and refine our technology toolkit, and convene over major projects like the development of a conceptual framework to an environmental claims clearinghouse. Using these collaborative approaches to peer-to-peer support and learning, members of the OpenTEAM community have opportunities to connect with others who can support their work, test out services and platforms in the field, and co-create the technology ecosystem.
STEWARDING TECHNOLOGY
OpenTEAM believes that developing greater access to tools that provide data-driven feedback is key to helping land stewards understand their soils and make better, timely decisions. We are building an interoperable technology ecosystem that includes field-level carbon measurement, digital management records, remote sensing, predictive analytics, and input and economic management decision support. This connected technology toolkit supports adaptive soil health management for farms of all scales, geographies and production systems and reduces the need for farmer data entry. Through working groups and Collabathons, we are helping agricultural technologies to work together while simultaneously building feedback mechanisms throughout our Hub & Associated Network Farms and Ranches that allow these technologies to adapt to the needs of the communities they serve.
EQUIPPING FOOD SYSTEMS LEADERS
At OpenTEAM, we recognize that farmers and ranchers require trusted local networks and data-driven feedback to adapt their management plans to become more resilient economically and ecologically. Not only are we collaboratively building an open agricultural technology ecosystem, but we are equipping food systems leaders with the knowledge necessary to navigate and apply this ecosystem themselves in order to transition to regenerative agriculture practices, improve their soil health, and combat climate change. By developing feedback mechanisms, providing training on tools, and adding additional capacity, we hope to create stronger systems of support and bridge the gaps farmers and ranchers currently face within the OpenTEAM technology ecosystem.
