WASHINGTON (February 26, 2020)—Legislation introduced today by Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) would help farmers adapt to the mounting climate crisis and help ensure that they and their communities thrive. The Agriculture Resilience Act (ARA) would dramatically increase support for proven, but underfunded U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) conservation and research programs and create new initiatives to address myriad overlooked issues, including declining soil health, the ability of farms to capture carbon, on-farm renewable energy and food waste. The bill also would quadruple investments in federal food and agriculture research and for programs that provide farmers with information and technical assistance.
“This legislation would provide an evidence-based roadmap that leverages a wide range of strategies to protect and strengthen our food and farm system at a time when farmers and ranchers are increasingly being harmed by the climate crisis,” said Marcia DeLonge, research director for the Food and Environment Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).
At the center of the proposal are efforts to help farmers build healthier soil, a critical life-support system and the foundation of the nation’s food supply. “Living soil”—teeming with beneficial insects, fungi, microbes, and living plant roots—recycles nutrients, promotes healthy crops, needs fewer chemical inputs, and holds water, protecting farmland against floods and droughts and preventing pollution caused by fertilizer runoff. In these ways, living soil reduces the risk of crop loss from extreme weather and lowers farmers’ input costs, while also storing more carbon in the ground, making farmers part of the climate solution.
“Taking care of soil is vital for today’s farmers and the next generation,” said DeLonge. “Research shows that healthier soil resists erosion, acts like a sponge to buffer farms from worsening floods and droughts, and keeps water clean. Many farmers are already finding success with a mix of cover crops, no-till, crop rotations, grazing management, and many other practices to boost soil health, but a wider transition requires much more financial and technical support. This bill will give farmers tools they need to face an uncertain future.”
Notably, Rep. Pingree’s proposal directs the USDA and Treasury Department to study the feasibility of a federal income tax credit that would provide an incentive for farms to capture carbon in their soil. It also directs the USDA to establish science-based criteria to ensure all new incentives produce the best possible environmental outcomes.