Guide to Regenerative Grazing Leases: Opportunities for Resilience

CHAPTER 3. Agricultural Management Plans (Continued)
Goal-setting. Property-level goals, accompanied by objectives with enough
specificity to inform daily operations, provide the framework upon which work
and measurements will be directed, in order to track success over time. (In
this guidebook, property-level goals and practical objectives will be referred to
collectively as ‘goals.’) All goals should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic,
and Time-bound (SMART), and can be refined as monitoring data is collected and
lessons are learned through the adaptive management process.
Attribute
Description
Specific
The goal is concrete, detailed and well defined
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic
The goal focuses on an aspect of the system that can be
monitored
The goal is achievable given the resources and context
of the operation
The goal is ecologically and operationally realistic
Time-bound
The goal is linked to a relevant time frame
Regenerative operations often set goals that consider the system as a whole,
including goals for improving forage or livestock production and ecological outcomes
like fostering biodiversity, rebuilding soil health, and improving water capture and
retention, as just a few examples.
Because most outcomes are inherently complex and difficult to measure in their
entirety, ecological indicators are often used to monitor success. SMART goals
should be developed in relation to such indicators to ensure they are measurable, and
that implementation and monitoring can be achieved with a reasonable investment
of time and money. In some cases, indicator species (whose presence or absence
provides information on the ecological condition and function of a given landscape)
can be monitored as a cost-effective way to track progress toward a SMART goal.
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