Growing Returns

Selected tag(s): Climate

Four takeaways from a year of global action on food, agriculture and climate

By Jennifer Chow / Bio / Published: December 16, 2024

Global leaders increasingly recognize that agriculture and food systems must be part of solutions to the climate crisis. From the first Food Systems Pavilion at a UN climate conference in 2022, to 160 countries recognizing food and agriculture as a climate imperative in 2023, food advocates came into the 2024 UN climate conference, COP29, with wind in our sails. We made progress, but the world needs to do more — and quickly.

As we close out the year and look ahead to COP30 in late 2025, significantly more work remains to ensure farmers, fishers and ranchers can feed a growing population and lower climate pollution from food systems.

Here are four reflections from EDF and our partners about the progress made this year and the urgent work that remains to make farms and food systems more resilient, sustainable and equitable.

Posted in Climate Resilience / Also tagged agriculture, COP29, food | Leave a comment

Fires are normal, and so is fire recovery – at least it used to be

By Brian Buma / Published: April 12, 2023

Wildfires are nothing new. In most of North America, fires are actually critical parts of a functioning ecosystem. Recovering forests play important and often underappreciated roles as ephemeral homes for fire-adapted species, and the mosaic left behind by a fire – untouched forests, slightly dead forests, totally burnt forests – is important for regulating future fires, insect outbreaks, and as habitat.

Posted in Wildlife Protection / Also tagged fires, forest fire, forests, Recovery, soil, wild fires | Comments are closed

Farmers and environmentalists team up to push Congress to act on climate

By Callie Eideberg / Bio / Published: November 19, 2020

Agricultural and environmental advocates have joined forces to push Congress to act on climate change. The new Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance developed more than 40 joint policy recommendations for making farms, ranches and forests more climate resilient, harnessing the power of natural climate solutions.

Environmental Defense Fund, American Farm Bureau Federation, National Council of Farmer Cooperatives and National Farmers Union co-chair the alliance, and membership has expanded to include FMI-The Food Industry Association, National Alliance of Forest Owners, National Association of State Departments of Agriculture and The Nature Conservancy. Read More »

Posted in Climate Resilience / Also tagged agriculture, Congress, FACA, Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance, resilience, sustainable agriculture, USDA | Comments are closed

The farm bill: A preview for how America can make progress on climate

By David Festa / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: December 20, 2018

When most Americans think about our nation’s notable environmental policies, they probably think about the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act or the Endangered Species Act. They probably aren’t thinking about the farm bill.

But they should be.

President Trump just signed into law the 2018 farm bill – an $867-billion piece of legislation upon which millions of Americans depend for global trade, food production, nutrition assistance and conservation funding.

Most people don’t know that the farm bill is in fact the single largest federal source of funding for conservation on private working lands.

Importantly, Republicans and Democrats worked together to make sure those funds didn’t take a cut, and the 2018 farm bill went even further to recognize the role that America’s vast farms and ranches can play in building resilient land and water systems that will allow people and nature to thrive on a changing planet.

Here are two key reasons why I believe the 2018 farm bill could be a watershed moment for conservation in America. Read More »

Posted in Uncategorized / Also tagged conservation, ecosystems, farm bill, sustainable agriculture | Comments are closed

How one company’s sustainability goal is poised to change an entire industry

By Maggie Monast / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: October 26, 2018

Read an update on methane, manure and community impacts in North Carolina

Smithfield Foods, the world’s largest pork producer, has committed to a major increase in manure-to-energy projects. The company will invest in infrastructure and provide farmer incentives to install manure lagoon covers and digesters on 90 percent of its total hog finishing capacity, a standardized measurement that excludes sow and nursery farms, in North Carolina, Missouri and Utah over the next ten years.

This is a major step forward for the hog industry. Open lagoon and sprayfield systems of manure management are predominant in North Carolina and raise concerns about greenhouse gas emissions, water quality, odor and resilience to extreme rainfall.

There are currently only a few manure-to-energy projects in North Carolina. This commitment from Smithfield means they will become the new status quo.

The company’s largest source of greenhouse gases is methane emitted from open manure lagoons. Here’s how this commitment will turn that liability into an asset – and how we can ensure that it delivers the full potential benefits of the change. Read More »

Posted in Climate Resilience, Supply Chain / Also tagged ecosystems, fertilizer, flooding, hog lagoons, hogs, lagoon covers, manure, manure digesters, manure management, open lagoon, Partnerships, rainfall, resilience, Smithfield, Smithfield Foods, sustainable agriculture | Read 3 Responses

These heartland conservation heroes defy stereotypes

By David Festa / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: September 6, 2016

Montana rancher Dusty Crary with his horses.

Western ranchers, Midwestern commodity crop growers, fishermen who make their livelihoods along the Mississippi River and the Gulf Coast. In some circles, these folks wouldn’t necessarily be considered models of sustainability. And yet, many are leading a quiet revolution in the way our food is raised, harvested and produced.

In her new book Rancher Farmer Fisherman: Conservation Heroes of the Heartland, my colleague Miriam Horn journeys down the Mighty Mississippi River System to meet five representatives of this unsung stewardship movement: Read More »

Posted in Supply Chain / Also tagged agricultural sustainability, American value, bipartisan, cattlemen, climate change, conservation, conservationist, conservative, cover crops, democracy, ecosystems, environmental defense fund, farmer, farming, fertilizer efficiency, fertilizer management, fisherman, Gulf of Mexico, hunters, hunting, kansas, land manager, Louisiana, Mississippi River, Montana, no-till, nutrient efficiency, nutrient management, progressive, rancher, ranching, red state, stewardship, sustainable agriculture | Read 1 Response

Despite drought, California agriculture is doing well. But there are hidden costs.

By Scott Sellers / Bio / Published: May 23, 2016

Water scarcity has affected California vineyards

Photo credit: Henrik Johansson

According to a new World Bank report, regions around the world could gain or lose up to 6 percent of their GDP by 2050 depending on how they manage for climate-driven water scarcity.

I was curious about how the report’s findings might apply to California, where I live.

Here in the Golden State, water scarcity is a familiar threat. And while the World Bank found that climate-water costs to North American GDP should be minimal, many Californians have suffered acutely from sustained drought.

In some cases, however, it isn’t entirely clear what the impacts of water scarcity have been. Read More »

Posted in Climate Resilience / Also tagged agriculture, california, central valley, climate change, climate-water nexus, drought, economy, environmental defense fund, farmers, global warming, groundwater, groundwater management, job creation, resilience, resiliency, sustainable agriculture, sustainable groundwater management act, water management, water market, water scarcity, water use, western water | Read 4 Responses

Carbon markets in agriculture are the next big thing

By Robert Parkhurst / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: January 24, 2016

I knew I wanted to focus my career on protecting the world’s great places, says Robert Parkhurst, pictured snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef.

In 2006 California passed AB 32, legislation requiring the state’s Air Resources Board to develop market mechanisms to reduce the state’s greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. It was a watershed moment, and I was lucky enough to be at the event where Governor Schwarzenegger signed the bill.

Even back then I saw the potential for environmental markets to improve climate stability by engaging, rather than penalizing, business. That’s why I’ve spent the past 10 years – seven with electric and information technology companies and the most recent three at Environmental Defense Fund – working to make agricultural GHG reduction programs a reality.

But my passion for conservation started long before passage of AB 32. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, I spent nearly all my free time outdoors, largely through Boy Scouts where I became an Eagle Scout. The moment I earned merit badges for water and soil conservation, I knew I wanted to focus my career on solving environmental challenges and protecting the world’s great places. I’ve been extremely fortunate to spend Thanksgiving atop Mount Kilimanjaro, Christmas on the Great Barrier Reef, and New Year’s Eve soaking in the natural beauty of New Zealand.

I believe carbon markets are the best tool we have for limiting emissions from agriculture, maintaining yields, and ensuring a food secure future.

These days my camping excursions involve my son and daughter, who are lobbying me to buy a plug-in electric car. Seeing my kids share that same excitement for solving environmental challenges brings a smile to my face like nothing else can.

That’s why I’m working to build a $2 billion market for agricultural greenhouse gas reductions by the end of 2020. I believe carbon markets are the best tool we have for limiting emissions from agriculture, maintaining yields, and ensuring a food secure future. Read More »

Posted in Carbon Market, Climate Resilience, Supply Chain / Also tagged agriculture, california, California Air Resources Board, Carbon Offsets, climate change, conservation, ecosystems, environment, environmental defense fund, farmers, farming, farms, fertilizer, food production, GHG mitigation, nutrient efficiency, Partnerships, resiliency, stewardship, sustainable agriculture | Comments are closed

Why the sustainable agriculture glass is half full

By Suzy Friedman / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: December 8, 2015

Suzy Friedman, Director of Agricultural Sustainability at EDF

I’ve been working to promote and implement sustainable agriculture practices for nearly 15 years. But the last two years have seen more action and momentum in this space than in all of the previous 13 years combined – and I’m more enthusiastic than ever.

Let me be clear – we still have a long way to go. As a USDA report released at the Paris climate talks noted, warming temperatures pose a significant threat to agriculture and food security across the globe. And, despite technological advancements, the multimillion-dollar question of how we’re going to measure and quantify sustainable agriculture remains.

But a new progress report from the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), also released last week in Paris, reaffirms my optimism and excitement. We’re headed in the right direction, and sustainable agriculture is on its way to becoming the norm. Here’s why. Read More »

Posted in Climate Resilience, Supply Chain / Also tagged agriculture, Campbell's, climate change, conservation, ecosystems, farmers, farms, fertilizer, food, food production, food security, General Mills, GHG mitigation, precision agriculture, sustainable agriculture, Unilever, USDA | Comments are closed

Remembering an agricultural pioneer

By Robert Parkhurst / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: October 28, 2015

Dr. Changsheng Li. Credit: University of New Hampshire

You may not know the name Dr. Changsheng Li, who passed away last week after a courageous battle with cancer, but his legacy will live on for generations.

A professor at the University of New Hampshire (UNH), Dr. Changsheng developed and refined a model that has been used in more than 20 countries to calculate methane and nitrous oxide emissions from crop production.

A UNH faculty award from 2009 noted that “it is rare to meet a person who fairly radiates humility and compassion. Changsheng Li of the Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space is just such an individual.” He will be sorely missed by his friends at Environmental Defense Fund – and across the entire agricultural world.

His work took on new meaning and unprecedented momentum over the past few months with several big developments in the field of agricultural carbon markets – successes that would not have been possible without his pioneering work. Read More »

Posted in Carbon Market, Climate Resilience, Wildlife Protection / Also tagged agriculture, carbon markets, climate change, conservation, DNDC, farmers, GHG mitigation, greenhouse gas, sustainability, sustainable agriculture, University of New Hampshire | Comments are closed