When Congress writes the new farm bill, it should include incentives for farmers to adopt cover crops and purchase so-called precision agriculture equipment that more efficiently uses fertilizers and pesticides, said the Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance on Wednesday. A FACA member said in a blog that the $20 billion earmarked for climate mitigation at the USDA should be protected “from being reallocated to other parts of the 2023 farm bill.”
More than 80 groups are members of FACA, which was founded in 2020 and advocates voluntary, incentive-based, and market-oriented programs in the food and agriculture sector to respond to climate change.
“Further reducing [greenhouse gas] emissions will require a comprehensive effort involving financial and technical assistance, research investments, proactive response to innovation, public-private partnerships, and a commitment to equitable opportunities for all producers,” said the alliance in its 30-page set of recommendations.
Besides incentives to adopt climate-friendly practices, FACA’s proposals include a USDA grant program to states to improve soil health on agricultural lands; a study to look for barriers to climate-smart practices in the crop insurance program; and letting the wealthiest farmers take part in “landscape level projects” to advance conservation or climate goals. Ordinarily, income limits block the highest-income farmers from receiving conservation payments.
Meanwhile, the Environmental Defense Fund, a founding member of FACA, said the $20 billion of climate funding, “combined with the alliance’s other recommendations, will enable more producers to advance the conservation and climate solutions that are so urgently needed.”
To read the FACA recommendations, click here.
