Federal funding designated for climate-smart agriculture, which benefits farmers across all 50 states, may be in jeopardy. This concern is raised in a recent column by the Center for American Progress (CAP), which urges Congress not to divert funds intended to assist farmers, forest landowners, and ranchers in managing their lands more sustainably.
The chair of the House Committee on Agriculture has proposed reallocating billions of dollars from climate-smart agriculture in the forthcoming farm bill. Such a move could potentially undermine investments made by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) for producers to implement climate-smart agricultural and conservation measures on their land.
The column advocates that the next farm bill should serve as an opportunity to bolster these historic investments rather than undermine them. CAP's analysis of new data delves into the geographic distribution of climate-smart agriculture funding and further corroborates that farmers, forest landowners, and ranchers in every state benefit from this funding.
If Congress proceeds with redistributing the remaining funds, there is a risk that the climate and conservation benefits of potential future projects may not be realized. Consequently, farmers may never receive the financial support they need.
Read the column: “Federal Funding That Benefits Farmers in Every State Is At Risk” by Mariel Lutz and Jasia Smith
For more information on this topic or to speak with an expert, please contact Sam Hananel at [email protected].
