America’s farmers have an opportunity to be “a real hero in our ability to address climate change” through improvements in productivity and climate-smart practices, but a successful climate program “has to work for agriculture, were comments by Robert Bonnie, Undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) for USDA at the 37th International Sweetener Symposium on Monday. Bonnie outlined USDA’s approach to addressing climate change through building broad, collaborative partnerships across agriculture.
Key is to not dictate approach. “There’s so much diversity in agriculture,” Bonnie said, “that the approach to climate change can’t be one that dictates practices for low and high. It has to be modern. It has to be producer-led. It has to allow farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners to choose which practices work best for them, and then provides incentives for them to do that.” Initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions must recognize the critical role American farmers play in producing a global supply of food and fiber.
Get Pro Farmer market analysis and recommendations that are not available online with a $1 trial subscription. Sign up here.
“We have to reduce emissions even while we maintain and enhance productivity. We’ve got to feed 9.5 plus billion people in the world by the middle of the century,” Bonnie explained. “U.S. agriculture is really good at productivity, and it’s really good at efficiency. That’s why I’m optimistic about the ability of U.S. farmers and U.S. forest land owners to be able to address climate change.”
Bonnie stressed the importance of crop insurance as a risk management tool, saying, “crop insurance is critically important for so many folks in agriculture.” He noted that there are ways to increase crop insurance accessibility while improving the products available to farmers.
Get more Pro Farmer market analysis that’s not available online with a 1-month trial subscription. Sign up here.
