Prolonged drought, intense wildfires, floods that threaten lives and livelihoods. We're all
impacted by climate change, but perhaps none more so than America's farmers,
ranchers and forest land owners. Since the turn of the century,
we have had 17 of the hottest years on record. These changes are having impacts on our forests,
they're having impacts on our communities... cause flooding of roads, additional road damage
and even home damage. U.S. farmers are looking at opportunities to conserve water. You know,
so many times we think about climate change as being something that's in the future. It's now.
It's true that agricultural production is a source of greenhouse gas emissions.
But climate-smart agriculture has an incredible potential to reduce emissions,
sequester carbon and help deliver lasting solutions to the climate crisis.
America's producers are already leading the way.
In recent years, carbon stored in cultivated cropland soils
increased by more than 8.8 million tons annually thanks to their voluntary conservation efforts.
The next decade is critical to the fight against climate change, creating a once in a generation
urgency for climate action right now. Our farmers, ranchers and forest landowners are ready.
And at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, we're here to support every step of the way.
The conservation programs made possible by the farm bill, and supercharged by the
Inflation Reduction Act, enable USDA to deliver unprecedented support to producers who want to
implement climate-smart practices like no-till, cover crops, prescribed grazing and silvopasture.
This investment, along with technical assistance from USDA and partners on the ground,
empowers farmers to strengthen their operations' resilience to climate-related disaster events,
while leveraging their land's potential to sequester and store carbon.
USDA is also driving climate-smart innovation and expanding markets for American producers
with the new Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities effort, bringing together a broad
set of stakeholders to forge agriculture's path forward with climate-smart markets. These
partners are as dedicated as they are diverse - from producer groups to NGOs, from corporations
to universities - bringing together local, state and tribal governments. They all share a goal:
to expand markets for U.S. climate-smart commodities. Their actions will increase
the competitive advantage of U.S. agriculture, build wealth that stays in rural communities,
support a diverse range of both producers and agriculture, and empower consumers to
make decisions that are informed by climate considerations and backed by purchasing power.
Farmers, ranchers and forest land owners are the backbone of America.
They are stewards of the land. They feed and clothe the world sustainably and affordably.
And though climate change is making their jobs harder than ever,
the Biden-Harris administration is investing in innovative,
lasting efforts to strengthen our working lands, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, sequester carbon,
and lead the world in delivering voluntary, incentive-based, market-driven climate solutions.