By: National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

The New Deal had its Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) to address the pressing farm issues of its day in a powerful new way, one that became the predecessor of all subsequent federal farm bills. 

This week, Maine farmer and Representative Chellie Pingree (D-ME) introduced the Agriculture Resilience Act (ARA) to address the most pressing farm issue of our day: climate change.

The bill establishes a set of aggressive but realistic goals for farmers to help mitigate climate change and increase agricultural resilience, starting with the overarching goal of reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions from U.S. agriculture by no later than 2040.

The legislation’s substantive programmatic sections are divided into six additional titles – agricultural research, soil health, farmland preservation and viability, pasture-based livestock, on-farm renewable energy, and food waste.

Each of those titles of the bill also have 2040 goals (and 2030 interim goals) attached to them, such as retaining year round cover on at least 75 percent of cropland acres, eliminating farmland and grassland conversion, increasing crop-livestock integration by at least 100 percent, tripling on-farm renewable energy production, and reducing food waste by 75 percent.

The bill directs the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to develop detailed action plans to help attain each of the goals.

The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) and many of its member organizations helped to develop the legislation and have endorsed the bill. 

We applaud Representative Pingree for her vision and leadership in setting the table for the critical legislative phase that must follow if agriculture is to survive and thrive and be part of the solution to the climate crisis.

For further information, please see Representative Pingree’s press release, the emerging list of endorsements, NSAC’s press comment, and the section-by-section summary of the bill.  Some of the extensive press coverage of the bill can be viewed here, here, and here.

For further information, please see Representative Pingree’s press release, the emerging list of endorsements, NSAC’s press comment, and the section-by-section summary of the bill.  Some of the extensive press coverage of the bill can be viewed here, here, and here.

Click Here for the complete NSAC Blog post.

For more information on programs, initiatives, upcoming events and more, visit the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition website.

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[Posted: February 28, 2020]

3/2/2020