The U.S. Department of Agriculture this week published a 90-day progress report on climate-smart agriculture and forestry strategies.
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack says the report represents an important step in President Biden?s executive order on tackling the climate crisis at home and abroad, and shifts towards a whole-of-department approach to climate solutions.
The order ? signed January 27th ? states that, ?America?s farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners have an important role to play in combating the climate crisis and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, by sequestering carbon in soils, grasses, trees, and other vegetation and sourcing sustainable bioproducts and fuels.?
Bill Hohenstein is the Director of the Office of Energy and Environmental Policy at USDA. He helps explain what climate-smart technology is and why the Ag sector should care.
?Climate-smart really is the technologies and practices that will position agriculture to be successful in changing climate, and to address agriculture?s responsibility in addressing climate change,? said Hohenstein. ?It?s a suite of practices that can improve the resilience through improved health of the systems and can reduce emissions, sequester carbon, and generate renewable energy.?
Hohenstein adds the newly released 90-day report addresses seven main areas.
?Data and metrics,? he said, ?how we make sure these strategies work for all farms and farmers, how we integrate these things into our programs, how we enhance and encourage improved technical assistance and deal with some of the gaps we have there, how we leverage private interest and maximize the benefits of these emerging private sector markets, how we improve forest health, and then how we revitalize and reenergize our research program.?
The National Corn Growers Association has said it looks forward to continuing to work with the Biden Administration to enable opportunities for corn farmers to be part of the climate solution.
The 90-day progress report can be viewed here.
