Dr. Rachel Seman-Varner is a National Program Leader in the Institute of Food Production and Sustainability and the Division of Agricultural Systems. Her research background includes soil nutrients and organisms, assessment of soil health, and the impacts of management on biodiversity and agroecosystem function. She has worked with state departments of agriculture in Washington and Florida on organic production, soil health, water quality, and pesticide management, usage and enforcement.
While serving as the National Soil Health Specialist with USDA-NRCS, she informed policies and developed technical materials for soil carbon amendments, soil health testing and assessment, and soil health management activities. Rachel most recently worked with American Farmland Trust to scale up and assess regenerative agriculture’s adaption and mitigation potential, with a particular focus on biochar in agriculture. She holds a Ph.D. in agroecology from Virginia Tech, with an emphasis on soil and nutrient management and a master’s degree in entomology and nematology from the University of Florida.