Sustainable Agriculture: A Key Link in Climate Action Policy
By: Matthew Stefanski
Tags: Sustainability, Sustainable Agriculture, European Union, Climate Change, Agriculture

In the United States and Europe, there is a growing consensus that farmers play an integral role in climate change solutions. With one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions coming from agriculture, climate goals cannot be achieved without shifting food systems to a sustainable path. That is why the EU’s landmark Green Deal includes the Farm to Fork Strategy, a comprehensive approach to achieving sustainable food systems that will reduce the environmental and climate footprint of the EU food system.

Ahead of Climate Week NYC, the European Union, in partnership with The Nature Conservancy, convened a panel of experts and policy makers on September 15 to discuss sustainable agriculture on both sides of the Atlantic. Entitled “Bringing Farmers to the Table: Agriculture, Climate, Economy and Equity,” the online event involved more than a hundred U.S. stakeholders and opened with remarks from European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides.

“We want Europe to become the world’s first climate neutral continent by 2050 built on a fair and equal society, and green economic growth,” Commissioner Kyriakides said in her opening remarks. “We want to bring our trading partners with us in this transition.”

Recognizing the clear dangers posed by climate change and the key role the agricultural community can play in climate solutions set the stage for a robust discussion focused on three themes: the benefit of precision farming, the potential of regenerative farming practices, and the need for equitable risk sharing.

“Farmers are front-line workers,” said Greg Viers, a life-long grain farmer from Central Iowa. “Farmers see the effects of climate change sooner and to a larger effect than other people in general,” making them a natural constituency for climate action and sustainable practices. Viers also serves as a durum wheat procurement manager for Barilla America, the world’s largest pasta manufacturer.

Viers stressed that precision farming, guided by innovative technologies and better data, allows farmers to farm better and use only the amounts of fertilizer and seed they need. This practical approach to conservation is what Rep. John Curtis (R-Utah) described as a “win-win climate solution” that’s good for the earth and financially for the farmer.

Modifying certain farming practices can not only save resources, it can benefit the soil and the earth’s climate as a whole. Dr. Yichao Rui, a soil scientist at the Rodale Institute, outlined the important role that regenerative agriculture can play in mitigating climate change. By implementing regenerative farming practices, such as having diverse crop rotations, eliminating synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, using organic soil matter for soil fertility, and using cover crops in the winter, organic soil sequestration can reduce greenhouse gas emissions. “To promote carbon sequestration, we should promote microbial biomass production and protection. We can achieve that through regenerative practices” he said.

Today, 1–5% of agricultural land around the world is being worked in a regenerative manner. Recognizing the benefits of regenerative farming, the EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy lays out concrete targets to be met by 2030, including reducing the use of pesticides by 50%, reducing nutrient losses by at least 50%, and reducing the use of fertilizers by 20%. The EU also aims to reduce sales of antimicrobials in farming and agriculture by 50% and increase the amount of agricultural land under organic farming in the EU to 25%.

Making food systems more sustainable cannot be left to farmers and farm-level solutions. Dr. Christine Negra, Senior Advisor for Climate and Agriculture at the United Nations Foundation, said governments need to work with private sector partners to ensure that innovation is reaching all farmers, and that they have equitable access to these cutting-edge tools. She also argued that the risks for adopting new technologies cannot rest only with the farmer, but that collaboration is required between “public sector, private sector, and farmers to mitigate risk wherever you can, and where they cannot be mitigated, to share the risk as best you can.”

Rep. Curtis agreed, saying “one of the largest impediments to [farmers] being good stewards of the land are financial.” That is why he supports the bipartisan Growing Climate Solutions Act. Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) also supports the bipartisan legislation, which, she said, “would lay the groundwork and reduce the barriers to entry for farmers who want to diversify their agricultural income and earn money for implementing climate friendly practices.”

Looking at the world around us, it is becoming clear that the threat of climate change is ever-present. As the EU’s Deputy Head of Delegation Michael Curtis said, “The planet is changing in front of our eyes. For some, climate change is not a distant threat, but a shocking reality today.” That is why the EU is approaching the issue of climate change holistically from all fields, including agriculture. Forty percent of the EU agriculture budget will contribute to climate action, totaling $24 billion a year.

With this strong commitment, and in collaboration with international partners, the EU is ready, Commissioner Kyriakides said, “to lead this transformation, for people, the planet, and our long-term prosperity.”