Mr. Davis Clark, originally from North Carolina, received his Bachelor of Science in environmental science from Appalachian State University. After serving as a sustainable agriculture extension agent Peace Corps Volunteer in Senegal, and being evacuated due to the Covid-19 global pandemic, Mr. Clark started his Master’s in Environmental Management at Western Colorado University in June of 2021. Through his experience working with local rural farmers in West Africa with the Peace Corps, and an impactful visit to the rural Himalayan regions of Uttarakhand, Mr. Clark was inspired to work at the grassroots level to improve local food systems in vulnerable regions of the world. His passion for the wilderness, mountaineering, regenerative agriculture, trees, and agroforestry has led him to seek meaningful and impactful work amongst farmers and producers in mountain regions from Southern Appalachia, the Central Rockies of Colorado, and the Himalayas of India.
The co-op conceptualized by Mr. Clark, for his Fulbright-Nehru project, focuses on increasing resilience across the local food system, community of rural farmers, agricultural landscape, and individuals involved. Through the extension of regenerative agriculture practices, agroforestry techniques, water conservation, and adaptive land management the co-op will improve the resiliency of the land, improve soil health, decrease drought vulnerability, and increase the resilience of the local food system. Furthermore, the co-op will focus on increasing connectivity amongst local producers, resource sharing, market access, and local support from the community.