Report Provides Legislative Path for Climate Resilient Agriculture

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition applauds the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis for underscoring the critical role farmers and ranchers play in climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Washington, DC, June 30, 2020 – On June 30, 2020 the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis released its long-awaited report offering climate policy recommendations to the standing committees, laying the groundwork for broad climate legislation in the near future. In addition to recommendations on energy and transportation programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the country, the report includes a chapter on agriculture and its role in addressing the climate crisis. In response, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) shared the following remarks:

“NSAC applauds the Select Committee for acknowledging agriculture’s critical role in mitigating the climate crisis in their report. Farmers and ranchers work at the frontlines of climate change, and they hold a unique position to sequester carbon in our country’s soils through best management practices for soil health, crop and livestock integration, and agroforestry,” says Eric Deeble, Policy Director at the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. 

“The report highlights the tools and resources Congress must provide to equip farmers to adapt to extreme weather and to contribute to the climate solution through carbon sequestration, emissions reductions, and increased resilience. As Congress moves forward with climate legislation, NSAC urges legislators to include agriculture proposals such as those outlined in the Select Committee’s report. Sustainable and regenerative approaches not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions and sequester carbon, they also provide additional environmental and economic benefits to farmers, ranchers, and rural communities.”

NSAC particularly appreciates the Select Committee’s endorsement of the Agriculture Resilience Act (H.R.5861), the most comprehensive agriculture and climate bill introduced in this Congress. We are pleased to see Congress continuing the important discussion around the climate crisis and thank the Select Committee for providing a path forward for future climate legislation. 

NSAC hopes that in addition to recognizing agriculture’s contribution to mitigating and adapting to the climate crisis, Congress will continue to support and invest in farmers and ranchers and provide them with the tools and resources they need to implement whole-farm practices that sequester carbon, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve environmental outcomes, and build resilience on their lands.

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About the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is a grassroots alliance that advocates for federal policy reform supporting the long-term social, economic, and environmental sustainability of agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities. Learn more: https://sustainableagriculture.net/