COMMENTS OF THE CENTER FOR CLIMATE AND ENERGY SOLUTIONS

Department of Agriculture (USDA) on “how to best use Department of Agriculture programs, funding and financing capacities, and other authorities, and how to encourage the voluntary adoption of climate-smart agricultural and forestry practices that decrease wildfire risk fueled by climate change and result in additional, measurable, and verifiable carbon reductions and sequestration and that source. [...] What new strategies should USDA explore to encourage voluntary adoption of climate-smart agriculture and forestry practices? In many cases, climate-smart agriculture and forestry practices can reduce risk and increase farm resilience, but many producers hesitate to adopt such practices because of perceived increased risk and cost.2 USDA should explore the link between climate-smart practices and t. [...] How can partners and stakeholders, including State, local and Tribal governments and the private sector, work with USDA in advancing climate-smart agricultural and forestry practices? USDA should provide funding to state, local and tribal governments, agriculture extension offices, conservation districts, and other third-party entities to purchase tools and equipment that can help farmers better p. [...] What data, tools, and research are needed for USDA to effectively carry out climate-smart agriculture and forestry strategies? Climate-smart agriculture and forestry strategies need to be data-driven and emphasize practices that have been scientifically proven to effectively and durably sequester carbon. [...] As part of its outreach, USDA should expand partnerships with historically black land-grant colleges and universities, tribal land-grant colleges and universities, and other minority-serving institutions to bolster the number of students and faculty addressing climate change in the agriculture and forestry sectors.