Despite concerns from many corners, there is a roadmap to progress at USDA
Source: Civil Eats
President-elect Joe Biden’s appointment of Tom Vilsack as Secretary of Agriculture has triggered a wave of anger and frustration from many corners of the food world, where pundits and activists have pointed to the ways he let down BIPOC farmers, small-scale producers, and environmental advocates during his eight years under the Obama administration.
It’s not clear how Vilsack will respond to this criticism. But one thing is clear: When he returns to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), he will be dealing with a world and a nation that have drastically changed from the time of his departure four years ago. The confluence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ensuing food insecurity, climate-induced apocalyptic wildfires, rising rates of farm bankruptcy, soil erosion, polluted surface waters, wholesale undermining of the public’s trust in science, and the nation’s racial reckoning will demand a forceful and creative departure from the trends that have brought us to this point.
The good news is there are a number of clear strategies that the Secretary of Agriculture can immediately pursue to lead the USDA in a bold new direction. Here are 10 ways to begin.
1. Give Farmers a Climate Mitigation Blueprint
Climate change is threatening the livelihoods of farmers and the stability and viability of our food system. If the billion acres of agricultural land in this country were managed in a way that allowed carbon to be permanently sequestered in perennial vegetation and soil organic matter—and did not emit potent greenhouse gases such as nitrous oxide—the climate footprint of agriculture would be vastly diminished. The model of the USDA regional Climate Hubs established in 2014 should be expanded so that it provides the tailored information and technical support for farmers and rural citizens to prevent and respond to climate change.Get the latest articles in your inbox.
Representative Chellie Pingree (D-ME) has introduced the Agriculture Resilience Act to fund programs that will enable farmers to create a net-zero sector by 2040. The Secretary should support such creative initiatives and, when they are authorized by Congress, should work aggressively to implement them.
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