A diverse group of agricultural research stakeholders, including AIBS, have written to lawmakers urging them to prioritize funding for federal programs that invest in agricultural research and innovation. Importantly, the letter describes how agricultural research could help improve climate outcomes.
The letter reads, in part: “Research is essential to addressing climate change for several reasons. First, public research helps identify ways of enhancing agricultural productivity, which is key to cultivating more food with less land, fewer inputs, and, ultimately, lower greenhouse gas emissions. Since the 1960s, innovation-driven productivity advances have enabled farmers to cut the carbon footprint per pound of milk and chicken by more than 50 percent. Building on this progress, doubling U.S. investments in public agricultural research over the next decade would increase crop production while reducing global greenhouse gas emissions by at least 109 million tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent per year by 2050, relative to a business-as-usual scenario.” Read more.
Stay current on the latest science policy news. Subscribe to our bi-weekly AIBS Public Policy Report.