National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

Supporting the economic and environmental sustainability of agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities.

climate change

Comment: NSAC Applauds USDA Investments to Improve Measurement, Monitoring, Reporting and Verification of Greenhouse Gas Emissions

“The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) applauds USDA’s commitment of funds to improve the tracking and analysis of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. As the agency increasingly focuses on implementing incentive-based support for reducing agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, effective measurement becomes ever more vital. Our understanding of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture has developed substantially over the past decades, but remains inadequate for fully understanding the best paths toward greenhouse gas reductions in agriculture. The $300 million USDA is investing in developing measurement systems will be key to expanding our understanding of how crop and livestock systems can best be improved to reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions to far below their current levels, and perhaps even to make agriculture a system with potential for net greenhouse gas sequestration.”… Read More →

Climate and Agriculture Policy Recommendations from House Climate Leaders

Two different bodies within the House of Representatives recently released recommendations for how to address climate change in agricultural legislation. Members of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) provided recommendations to House leadership on how to address climate change in the 2023 Farm Bill reauthorization. In addition, the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis (HSCCC) released a final report on its accomplishments as well as additional opportunities–including those that can be included in the next Farm Bill…. Read More →

Release: NSAC Congratulates Senate on Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 Passage, Urges Swift House Action 

For Immediate Release Contact: Laura Zaks National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) press@sustainableagriculture.net / Tel: 347.563.6408 Release: NSAC Congratulates Senate on Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 Passage, Urges Swift House Action  Funding Prioritizes Climate Solutions for Agriculture and Includes Key Coalition Priorities Washington, DC, August 7, 2022 – Today the full Senate passed the Inflation Reduction […]

Release: Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Advances FY 2023 Agriculture Spending Bill

Today, the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee publicly released the text of their Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Appropriations bill which provides significant increases in several critical priority areas that will strengthen the resilience of rural communities and bolster sustainable food systems…. Read More →

Release: NSAC Urges Congress to Pass Historic Climate Package

Yesterday, after months of on-and-off negotiations, Senate leaders announced a proposed deal on legislation aimed at advancing key pieces of President Biden’s agenda, including measures to combat climate change. If passed, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 would, among other things, provide approximately $369.75 billion for energy security and climate change programs over the next ten years…. Read More →

Release: National Farmer Climate Story Week Showcases Climate Solutions

This week, across the country, advocates for sustainable agriculture are joining together in a week of action to highlight the impacts that farmers increasingly face from climate change and the solutions needed to mitigate and adapt their practices to build greater resiliency and to bolster the food system. The week of action also builds support for the Agriculture Resilience Act (ARA), a comprehensive set of policy changes that would steer agriculture in the US towards net-zero carbon emissions by 2040 and serves as an important roadmap for how the next farm bill can effectively address climate change. … Read More →

Closed out: How U.S. farmers are denied access to conservation programs

Editor’s Note: This blog post is co-authored by Cathy Day, PhD, NSAC Climate Policy Coordinator and Michael Happ, Program Associate for Climate and Rural Communities at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, (IATP). ITAP is an NSAC member organization with a 30-year history of pursuing cutting edge solutions that benefit family farmers, rural communities and […]

COMMENT: NSAC Responds to House Agriculture Committee FY22 Budget Reconciliation Markup

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Laura Zaks National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition lzaks@sustainableagriculture.net  Tel. 347.563.6408 Comment: NSAC Responds to House Agriculture Committee FY22 Budget Reconciliation Markup Washington, DC, September 13, 2021 – In response to the markup and approval of the House Agriculture Committee’s portion of the $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package today, the National Sustainable Agriculture […]

Unpacking the House Appropriations Committee FY 2022 Agriculture Funding Bill

On June 30th, the House Appropriations Committee marked up and approved its fiscal year (FY) 2022 Agriculture Spending bill. The full House Appropriations Committee markup and approval followed the Agriculture Subcommittee’s approval of the funding bill on Friday, June 12. The agriculture appropriations bill includes funding for a wide range of farm and food programs, […]

NSAC Report on Climate Solutions for Farmers: Invest in Proven Federal Programs

The climate crisis is reaching a crucial tipping point. The past decade was the hottest on record, rife with extreme weather events and unparalleled natural disasters that highlight economic inequity and expose instability in our food and farming systems. Now more than ever, the urgency of this crisis requires bold steps to build resiliency, responsibly manage […]

Farmers Virtually Visit the Hill to Advocate for Climate Action

What do you get when you mix a pandemic context, a carbon-conscious group of farmers and advocates, and a critical window for Congressional action on the climate crisis? The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)’s latest Virtual Farmer “Fly-In” on Climate and Agriculture. Bringing farmers to Washington, D.C. to tell their stories to their lawmakers and […]

RELEASE: More Than 450 Organizations Urge Congress to Invest $200 Billion in Climate-Focused Agriculture Improvements in the American Jobs Plan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Laura Zaks, Associate Director of Communications and Development National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition lzaks@sustainableagriculture.net  Tel. 347.563.6408 More Than 450 Organizations Urge Congress to Invest $200 Billion in Climate-Focused Agriculture Improvements in the American Jobs Plan Letter to Congressional Leadership Addresses Agriculture, Climate and Infrastructure Needs Washington, DC, May 25, 2021 – Today […]

Guest Post: New Pasa Report Unearths Soil Health Insights

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Franklin Egan, Director of Education at Pasa Sustainable Agriculture, an NSAC member organization. This article originally appeared in March 2021 on Pasa’s blog. Our new report offers fresh insights into how farmers can improve soil stewardship to more effectively protect ecosystems and communities, better withstand severe weather, and […]

Farm Bill Program Addresses the Nation’s Biodiversity and Climate Crises

The Conservation Stewardship Program As our nation’s largest working lands conservation program, the Farm Bill’s Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), can and should be a boon for wildlife. But cuts in program funding under the previous administration left limited resources that farmers can use to enhance their conservation efforts on the lands they steward. During these […]

How the Biden-Harris Administration Can Support a More Sustainable and Resilient Food System

NSAC has identified the most pressing issues facing the sustainable agriculture community for the Biden-Harris Administration to prioritize in order to rebuild our food system. At the top of the list are issues like addressing the climate crisis, building a more resilient food supply chain, addressing longstanding issues of racial inequities, strengthening anti-trust enforcement, and scaling up investments in public research…. Read More →

Climate and Agriculture Legislation Roundup

Editor’s Note: The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) created a blog series on Rep. Chellie Pingree’s Agriculture Resilience Act (ARA), the first comprehensive piece of legislation introduced in the House of Representatives addressing climate change and agriculture. Blogs one through seven focus on specific provisions within the ARA; whereas this eighth and final blog in […]

RELEASE: Farmers and Ranchers Deliver Letter to the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Eric Deeble, Policy DirectorNational Sustainable Agriculture Coalitionedeeble@sustainableagriculture.net Farmers and Ranchers Deliver Letter to the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis A letter signed by 2,130 farmers and ranchers was delivered to Congress to highlight the impacts of the climate crisis on agriculture and the opportunities for farmers to lead on climate […]

A Climate-Friendly Approach to Managing Manure

Editor’s Note: This is the third blog in a series focusing on specific provisions included in the Agriculture Resilience Act (ARA) introduced by Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) in February 2020. The ARA represents the first comprehensive piece of legislation introduced in the House of Representatives addressing climate change and agriculture. The first blog focused on […]