This past October, I was honored to attend the Global Forum on Farm Policy Innovation (GFFPI), hosted at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) headquarters in Paris. This first-of-its-kind partnership between the Farm Foundation, the Australian Farm Institute, the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute, and the Forum for the Future of Agriculture served as a melting pot of ideas and expertise. The event’s primary focus was to leverage our shared passion for sustainability to nurture collaboration in international trade. By bringing together diverse stakeholders, GFFPI aimed to foster innovative policies and practices, driving the agenda of sustainable development through international trade in the global agri-food economy.

As an agricultural economist at the University of Arkansas, I appreciated the global urgency for all countries to collaborate toward a more sustainable agri-food system. I left the event with renewed optimism about the potential for international partnerships to address sustainability concerns via flexible, innovative agri-food trade policy. Here are three areas discussed at the event that I found particularly worth exploring via global collaboration.

1. Global Dialogue on Environmental Impact Reporting

The need for a deeper global dialogue on environmental impact reporting in the agri-food supply chain is of paramount importance. The rising prominence of environmental impact reporting emphasizes its growing influence across the agri-food value chain. As someone deeply engaged in agricultural sustainability, I view these developments with anticipation and caution. The surge in transparency and the increasing demands from consumers and policymakers for clear, honest disclosures have compelled companies to set ambitious emission reduction targets. Yet, robust measurement and reporting challenges are substantial, marked by a landscape rife with inconsistent standards and new directives like the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive mandating Scope 3 emissions reporting.

I applaud the move towards greater transparency, empowering more sustainable production and consumption practices. However, I am also mindful of the potential ramifications. The diversity in methodologies could either spur innovation or sow confusion. A critical concern is whether this surge in reporting might unintentionally marginalize smaller or lower-income producers, who may lack the resources for compliance. The escalation in environmental impact reporting is an irreversible trend that demands vigilance from everyone involved in the food system. Ensuring that the frameworks we adopt genuinely advance sustainability without erecting new barriers is imperative. We must engage critically in these discussions, striving for systems that are transparent, equitable, and supportive of sustainable advancements. In pursuing environmental accountability, we must not lose sight of the intended purpose: to foster a sustainable, inclusive, and equitable agri-food system.

2. Consumer Awareness and Engagement

Increasing consumer awareness and engagement is pivotal in the journey toward sustainable food production, a theme echoed strongly at GFFPI’s workshop. Consumers play a crucial role in driving demand for sustainably produced foods, making their awareness and choices fundamental in shaping the agri-food market. The discussions at the workshop highlighted that an informed consumer base can significantly influence agricultural practices by preferring products that align with sustainable and ethical standards.

Consider gene editing, a revolutionary technology for creating more sustainable food systems. This cutting-edge technique can help develop more resilient crops to climate change, require fewer resources, and yield higher nutritional value. However, the success of gene editing hinges on consumer perceptions and acceptance, as widespread global misperceptions pose a significant barrier to adopting and advancing gene-edited crops. Consumers, often unaware of the benefits of gene editing, might inadvertently impede progress in agricultural sustainability due to these misconceptions. Addressing these misperceptions requires concerted efforts to educate consumers about the global importance of agricultural technology. These efforts must include providing factual information about the reduced need for pesticides, the potential for increased crop yields, and the ability to fortify crops with essential nutrients.

The GFFPI event underscored the need for comprehensive strategies to educate and engage consumers, as informing consumer choices requires supporting innovative technologies that promise a more sustainable agri-food future. As we look towards sustainable solutions in agriculture, ensuring public understanding and acceptance of these new technologies becomes as important as the innovations themselves. In this endeavor, it is vital to recognize that consumer education is a two-way street. The agri-food industry must not only disseminate information but also actively listen to and address consumer concerns, meeting people where they are in their understanding and perceptions. This approach fosters a dialogue-based relationship where consumer feedback can guide and improve industry practices. Policies worth exploring might include clearer labeling, public awareness campaigns, and collaboration between policymakers, producers, and retailers to facilitate easier access to sustainable food choices. Such efforts are crucial in building a more sustainable agri-food system, where consumer choices are not just about personal preference but also about contributing to global sustainability goals. By engaging consumers as active participants in the sustainability conversation, we can ensure that evolution within the agri-food sector aligns with both environmental imperatives and societal needs.

3. Economic Viability and Productivity Through Technology and Innovation

Environmental sustainability in agriculture is incomplete without economic viability for producers. Achieving a balance between these two elements is essential for the long-term sustainability of the agri-food sector. At the core of this balance is the understanding that economic productivity and environmental stewardship are not mutually exclusive; they can be synergistic when approached through innovative technologies and practices.

Consider advancements like artificial intelligence (AI), which has the potential to revolutionize agricultural practices. AI can optimize resource use, enhance crop yields, and reduce environmental impacts, thereby increasing the economic viability of farming while adhering to sustainability principles. For instance, precision agriculture, powered by AI, allows for the precise application of water, fertilizers, and pesticides, reducing waste and environmental damage. Similarly, AI-driven data analytics can provide insights for better crop management and decision-making, enhancing productivity and sustainability.

Transitioning to sustainable practices often requires initial investments that can be challenging for farmers, particularly smallholders. Subsidies, incentives, and fair compensation might play a critical role. By offsetting the initial costs and risks associated with adopting new technologies and practices, these financial mechanisms can make it more feasible for farmers to transition toward sustainable agriculture. They also serve as a recognition of the environmental services that sustainable farming provides.

Modern sustainability challenges require modern, innovative solutions. Policy decisions must be mindful of supporting the development of technologies that are accessible and affordable for farmers of all scales and regions. Innovations should not only focus on high-tech solutions but also on sustainably improving traditional practices. For example, integrating indigenous knowledge with modern technology can lead to more holistic and effective agricultural practices.

The challenge lies in ensuring that these technological innovations and economic incentives are designed and implemented in a way that truly supports sustainable agriculture. Collaboration among governments, private sectors, researchers, and farmers is required to develop solutions that are practical, scalable, and aligned with both environmental and economic objectives. Indeed, advancements in the agri-food sector must continue to evolve in a way that supports the planet and its people, ensuring the economic viability of farming while safeguarding the environment for future generations.

Toward Heightened Global Cooperation

International cooperation is indispensable in addressing the multifaceted sustainability challenges in the agri-food system. The complexities of global food production and consumption patterns necessitate a collaborative approach that transcends borders, integrating long-term sustainability goals with practical, immediate actions. This approach involves harmonizing policies and practices across nations while acknowledging and respecting regional and cultural differences. Meaningful dialogue between the public and private sectors is pivotal. Governments can set the sustainability agenda through public policy, regulatory reform, and incentives, enabling sustainable practices. Through public-private partnerships, agricultural policy might accelerate the private sector’s capacity for innovation, allowing the private sector to bring new technologies and processes to the forefront. The symbiotic relationship between these two sectors is essential for driving meaningful progress towards sustainability.

Furthermore, international cooperation is key to emphasizing open trade, transparency, and establishing common standards. Open trade facilitates the exchange of goods, services, and knowledge, fostering an efficient and sustainable global marketplace. Transparency builds trust and accountability, ensuring that all stakeholders, from farmers to consumers, are well-informed and engaged. Common standards, meanwhile, provide a benchmark for sustainability, ensuring that practices and products meet agreed-upon environmental and social criteria. Flexibility is also crucial in this global framework. Agricultural practices are deeply rooted in local cultures and ecosystems; thus, solutions must be adaptable to different regional contexts. What works in one part of the world may not be suitable for another, and policies must be sensitive to these differences.

The GFFPI workshop underscored the importance of global collaboration in tackling sustainability challenges. As a participant, I witnessed firsthand the power of diverse perspectives coming together to shape a resilient and sustainable future for agriculture. This experience reinforced my belief in the collective commitment required to make a lasting impact. It’s not just about individual actions but how we, as a global community, can unite our efforts and resources to create a sustainable agri-food system that benefits global society. The path ahead is complex and challenging, but with continued collaboration, innovation, and commitment through events like the GFFPI workshop, we can forge a prosperous and sustainable future for generations to come.

A version of this blog first ran in the November 23, 2023, issue of Farm Institute Insights, a publication of the Australian Farm Institute. It is reposted with permission.

The post Perspective: Leveraging Shared Passion for Sustainability to Nurture Collaboration in International Trade appeared first on Farm Foundation.

On October 16-19^th, Myers attended the International Dairy Federation (IDF) World Dairy Summit in Chicago, Illinois, to hear how global dairy leaders are approaching some of the major issues impacting the dairy sector.

It is not often that the global dairy community gathers to discuss high-level issues that are specific to the dairy industry or agriculture in general. Over the last seven years, I have been lucky to attend numerous conferences that discuss research relevant to specific issues in the dairy industry, whether this be the adoption of a new technology or the modification of a testing procedure. However, I noticed absent from these discussions were relevant policy conversations or how the adoption of new technologies could enhance farm income. More so, there was little discussed as to what is happening in the global dairy sector and how global innovations and trends might impact dairy farmers and processors in the United States. I just assumed these conversations didn’t happen at conferences.

I learned that is not the case at the International Dairy Federation (IDF) World Dairy Summit, which I attended a few weeks ago in Chicago, Illinois. The meeting itself rotates to different countries each year, and it has been over 30 years since the United States hosted the World Dairy Summit. As someone who has recently shifted away from the dairy foods processing sector and into dairy policy and economics, I was excited to attend a conference where there appeared to be such a focus on dairy markets and policy. The World Dairy Summit itself hosted 1,200 participants from around the world to discuss the theme of the conference: “Boundless Potential, Endless Opportunities.”

High-level plenary sessions were held with global dairy industry leaders coupled with topic-specific concurrent sessions. Plenary sessions focused broadly on issues the global dairy industry is facing. However, there was a strong focus on sustainability and how the dairy industry can work toward a greener future. To contribute to this dialogue, global dairy industry leaders discussed how their companies and governments are working to achieve the global dairy industry’s goal of being carbon neutral by 2050. Furthermore, dairy industry leaders discussed how technology adoption and policies can intersect to fill the demand for dairy solids from a growing population. Importantly, leaders also discussed how this intersectionality can work to achieve a carbon-free dairy industry, without curtailing production. In the concurrent sessions, dairy industry leaders widely discussed how trade can be a tool to mutually benefit the global dairy industry, and how changing global consumer demand stands to impact U.S. dairy farmers.

Making New Connections

Although the plenary and concurrent sessions offered valuable information and insight from global dairy leaders, one of the most remarkable aspects of attending the IDF World Dairy Summit was networking with like-minded dairy professionals from around the United States and the globe. These conversations, whether in concurrent sessions or in one-on-one hallway conversations, were incredibly important to gaining valuable insights into dairy markets, policy, and future career opportunities. The connections I have made with farmers, members of the scientific community, and industry groups at IDF were numerous and have proven helpful in several instances since the conference. I hope to continue to cultivate these networks as I continue down the very narrow, but increasingly relevant, field of dairy economics.

Besides a plethora of new connections, friends, and colleagues, I returned to Arkansas with one other memento from the World Dairy Summit, a first-place trophy from the dairy marketing and economics poster session. Participants were invited to submit original research posters to one of seven major research categories. Those who placed first in the category returned home with a glass plaque with the IDF logo etched into it. The dairy markets and economics plaque now sits proudly on a shared bookshelf in our department’s Ph.D. office. In a research space as small as dairy markets and economics, receiving first place signified to me that our research had valid and broad implications for the entire dairy industry. Personally, I feel as though this award signifies I am making headway as an aspiring dairy economist.

Overall, the IDF annual meeting exceeded my expectations and offered an incredible experience of networking with like-minded dairy enthusiasts while thinking of new ideas on how my research can impact dairy farmers here in the U.S. The IDF meeting has truly expanded my personal network of global dairy industry stakeholders and fueled my commitment to contributing meaningfully to the dynamic and ever-evolving world of dairy.

I attended this conference as both a graduate student at the University of Arkansas and as a Farm Foundation Agricultural Scholar, and as such my attendance at this meeting would not have been possible without the commitment of Farm Foundation. As I reflect on this experience, I am incredibly grateful for Farm Foundation for affording me this incredible opportunity.

The post Perspective: Deepening Insights at the International Dairy Federation World Dairy Summit appeared first on Farm Foundation.

Executive Summary

On September 13, 2023, the Farm Foundation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture hosted a one-day virtual conference, U.S. Farm Households’ Social and Economic Needs and the Future of U.S. Agriculture. The event brought together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to discuss new interdisciplinary research at the intersection of farm household needs and the farm business and to exchange ideas to better support farm households and U.S. agriculture.

The presentations and discussions highlighted ways that farm household well-being directly influences farm business viability and decision-making. Participants noted that while household factors have not always been a focus of agricultural policy, they require consideration to support family farm production and encourage new farm entrants. Some presentations addressed particular social supports, including access to health insurance, childcare, and financial services that intersect with the goals of strengthening rural economies and communities more generally. Other themes that emerged included the need for data on both farm households and their businesses to study these linkages and the role of non-financial considerations in farm business decision-making. As the structure of agriculture has changed, the needs of farm households have grown increasingly diverse. However, the capacity of rural communities to provide services, such as health care and mental health services, childcare, and other social and economic supports, has often lagged. This conference brought together interested stakeholders to begin a conversation on a more holistic means of supporting U.S. agricultural production by considering household-level support. All authors presenting original research were invited to prepare manuscripts for a special issue of Agriculture and Human Values (a Springer journal) related to the conference theme, to be published in late 2024. 

Conference Overview

On September 13, 2023, the Farm Foundation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture hosted a one-day virtual conference focused on U.S. farm households’ socioeconomic needs. The event brought together a wide range of social science researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to discuss new research at the intersection of farm household needs and the farm business and to exchange ideas to better support farm households and U.S. agriculture. The day’s agenda, including research paper authors and their affiliations, can be found in Appendix A below.

The conference began with opening remarks from USDA Deputy Secretary Torres Small, highlighting the important but less studied need to support farm households in ways that go beyond programs focused on agricultural production and the farm business. A panel discussion among farmers and farm service providers offered concrete perspectives on how initiatives like strengthening rural communities, promoting mental health, access to childcare and healthcare support farm viability and recruiting new and diverse farmers.

The themes covered in the opening session were revisited throughout the day during research presentations and informal topical discussions among participants. All of the presentations spoke to the conference theme of linkages between farm households’ well-being and farm business success, but a presentation by Douglas Jackson-Smith was perhaps the most direct. He showed evidence that household shocks, including health changes, divorce, and death, were more predictive of farm survival and exit during the pandemic than farm-level financial shocks. A presentation by Renee Wiatt and Maria Marshall echoed these findings by showing that socioemotional wealth influences farm succession decisions in addition to farm financial health.

“Household shocks, including health changes, divorce, and death, were more predictive of farm survival and exit during the pandemic than farm-level financial shocks.”

Many presentations highlighted the role of communities and the rural economy in supporting farm households and businesses – a theme that members of the opening panel returned to repeatedly in their remarks. Analena Bruce discussed the importance of understanding the broader systems that farmers operate in to understand agricultural production and whether farming is viable. Farm viability depends on factors other than income generation, including mental and physical health. Bruce mentioned that low levels of farm income cause farm households to rely on off-farm income to meet health insurance and economic needs. This topic was addressed directly by Allie Bauman’s work showing that the expansion of Medicaid eligibility allowed beginning farmers to work less off-farm and more on-farm, which may increase farm survival rates. Florence Becot conducted a survey of farm households with children and showed that childcare costs and availability are challenges for 74 percent of farm households. While rural childcare is a community-wide issue, farm households indicated direct tradeoffs between caring for children and investing time and money in their farm businesses, suggesting the interplay between strong social supports for rural communities and the ability to make a living farming.

Another theme of the conference was the diversity of farm households in terms of characteristics, farm production, income, and needs. Mary Ahearn’s presentation outlined ways in which the profession has pursued better data collection on both the farm household and farm business as an essential input for assessing farm household economic needs and the linkages with farm business outcomes and agricultural policy. As an example of improved data, she talked about how women operators were not accounted for in official data, which once remedied reflected their large contributions to agricultural production. Two presentations made use of the contemporary USDA dataset Ahearn discussed covering both household and farm-level information. Katherine Lim used the Agricultural and Resource Management Survey (ARMS) to study older farm households’ income sources and retirement savings, finding that many older farm households rely heavily on social security income and private pensions, and that the majority have a private retirement account. Farm operators of color; however, have lower levels of retirement savings and lower levels of income overall. Tia McDonald combined ARMS with bank branch location data to show that being geographically closer to a physical bank branch was associated with increases in savings behavior among farm households again highlighting the intersection of strong rural communities with farm household well-being and farm operation financial performance.

This conference brought together stakeholders to study and address challenges faced by farm households. The throughline theme from the conference is that household needs directly affect farm business viability and decision-making. These linkages have not always been evident to researchers and therefore have not been a focus in the development and analysis of agricultural policy. Household social and economic needs intersect with non-agricultural policy and rural development more generally; however, farm households may face unique challenges associated with their status as agricultural producers. To better understand the challenges faced by the diverse population of farms and farm households, it would be beneficial to continue and expand collection of detailed qualitative and quantitative data.

Katherine Lim is a USDA ERS Agricultural Research Economist.

Appendix A: Conference Agenda

Wednesday, September 13, 2023

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM: Welcome Address & Panel Discussion

Welcome Address: 9:00 – 9:10 a.m.

Shoshanah Inwood, The Ohio State University

USDA Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Xochitl Torres Small

Moderated by:

Martha King, Farm Foundation 

Panel Discussion: 9:10 – 10:00 a.m.

Moderated by:

Matt Russell, USDA Farm Service Agency 

Panel Participants:

Dr. Gabrielle Roesch-McNally, American Farmland Trust

Adam Alson, Alson Farms and Appleseed Childhood Education

Mary Saunders Bulan, Rural Advancement Foundation International – USA

Graham Unangst-Rufenacht, Rural Vermont 

10:00 AM – 11:30 AM: Session One, Farm Families’ Persistence and Well Being

Farm Operator Household Well-Being Measurement And Analysis: The Past 50 Years And Future Directions. Mary Clare Ahearn, National Center for Agricultural Policy, and Ashok Mishra, University of Arizona.  

Factors Associated with Farm Survival and Exit During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Ohio. Douglas Jackson-Smith, Ohio State University, Tiffany Woods, Shoshannah Inwood, Julia Linder, and Lauren Gallander 

Discussion Moderator: Becca Jablonski, Colorado State University 

Break & Networking Lounge

Enjoy your lunch while making new connections, collaborations, and digging deeper into the issues with subject matter experts. Discussion tables will convene conference participants with government representatives, farmers, technical service providers, and researchers on specific social and economic needs and common ground issues.

Participants will be automatically assigned to a specific breakout room table topic. You can leave the room at any time and rejoin the lobby area to switch to a different table topic. 

12:30 PM – 2:00 PM: Session Two, Farm Viability in the Face of Social and Economic Needs

“A Farm is Viable If It Can Keep Its Head Above Water”; Farm Viability, Persistence, And The Sustainability Of Agriculture in New England. Analena Bruce (University of New Hampshire), Cindy Zheng, and Elise Neideker

The Impact of Expanded Health Care Coverage On U.S. Beginning Farmers And Ranchers. Allie Bauman (Colorado State University), and Becca Jablonski

Farm Families’ Challenges Meeting Their Social And Economic Needs And The Consequences On the Farm Business:  The Example of Childcare. Florence Becot (National Farm Medicine Center) and Shoshanah Inwood (Ohio State University) 

Discussion Moderator: Jessica Crowe, USDA-ERS

2:05 PM – 3:35 PM: Session Three, Overcoming Barriers to Meeting Farm Household and Farm Business Goals

Farm Households and Retirement:  Incomes Sources and Savings Behavior. Katherine Lim (USDA Economic Research Service) and Ashley Spalding

“Rich And Ready To Go Or Stay And Grow”?  A Succession Preparedness Study Of U.S. Farmers in the North Central Region. Authors: Renee Wiatt (Purdue University) and Maria I. Marshall

Distance To Commercial Banks And Farm Household Use of Financial Services. Tia McDonald (USDA, Economic Research Service) and Noah Miller 

Discussion Moderator:  Shoshanah Inwood, The Ohio State University 

3:35 PM – 4:00 PM, Closing Remarks

Panel of organizers reflecting on the conference, discussion questions, and concluding thoughts.

The post Farm Household Needs Directly Affect Farm Business Viability appeared first on Farm Foundation.

1. Strong public incentives for the transition to low-carbon agriculture

As signatories to the Paris Climate Agreement, our two countries are aiming for climate neutrality by 2050. Various policy levers are therefore being put in place to encourage the decarbonization of the economy, with a specific focus on agriculture. In France, the national Low  carbon strategy (Stratégie Nationale Bas Carbone) imposes guidelines and paths for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050, and the Ministry of Ecological Transition has set up a carbon certification framework (the Label Bas Carbone) to reward the efforts of economic players to reduce their emissions and store carbon. In the United States, there is a long-term strategy including pathways to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050[1]. The government is encouraging nature-based solutions^[2], and in particular climate-smart agriculture and forestry^[3], with its conservation agriculture practices to increase soil carbon storage, says Garth Boyd, a partner in the consulting firm The Context Network and Farm Foundation Round Table Fellow.

2. Numerous private players are supporting farmers in their low-carbon transition

Changing practices to reduce GHG emissions and store more carbon is a complex, technical, and costly operation for farmers. That is why a number of private players are helping them to make the transition.

In France, this is the case at Terrasolis, an innovation hub or low-carbon agriculture, which piloted the CarbonThink project, pointed out Carole Leverrier, director of Terrasolis. For his part, Edouard Lanckriet, development director at Agrosolutions, part of the InVivo Group, presented the consulting firm’s role in the drafting of the Label Bas Carbone methodology for field crops, and has developed Carbon Extract, a support tool for cooperative technicians and farmers. Similarly, Anaël Bibard, president of FarmLeap (a platform that uses farmers’ data to improve their performance), and also president of the Climate Agriculture Alliance (which brings together a number of European companies specializing in low-carbon agriculture), stressed the need for these players to work together to ensure that their actions are both coherent and impactful.

On the U.S. side, François Guérin, director of government affairs for Europe, Middle East and Africa at ADM International, broadened the subject of low-carbon agriculture to include regenerative agriculture. He presented his company’s commitment to this type of agriculture in order to reduce GHG emissions, improve soil health, protect water quality and biodiversity, sequester carbon and improve farm resilience^[4] . ADM is working to develop sustainability indices by working with companies such as Farmers Business Network, a specialist in agricultural data^[5].

3. Manufacturers are turning away from the carbon finance market (offsetting), preferring to decarbonize their own value chains (insetting).  

For Edouard Lanckriet, voluntary carbon finance is not adapted to agriculture. It was created for other sectors where the permanence of carbon storage is not an issue. This is not the case for agricultural carbon storage. Specific rules must therefore be devised for voluntary agricultural carbon finance.

The problem of farmers double-counting their decarbonization efforts was highlighted by Anaël Bibard, who insisted on the need for collaboration between stakeholders o avoid this problem: efforts made by the same farmers but in different programs may in fact be counted several times (for example, one relating to a sector and the other to the entire farm), due to a lack of consistency between accounting systems.

The transparency of measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) methods based on the data collected is one of the keys to robustness, and therefore to confidence in the carbon credits generated. Each method makes different choices between modeling (based on drone or satellite imagery) and soil analysis, and must strike a balance between competitive pricing (which restricts the number of soil analyses), time spent collecting agricultural data compatible with the schedules of the farmer and his advisor, the quantity and quality of the raw data needed to feed the mathematical models, and finally the reliability of the latter. Anaël Bibard and Edouard Lanckriet agreed on this point, stressing the role of digital farm management systems to collect, store and manage several hundred to several thousand data points for each farm.  The key is to build credible programs, summarized Garth Boyd.

The latter highlighted a number of past failures that have undermined the confidence of producers and buyers of agricultural carbon credits. While certain carbon offset certification frameworks such as VCS or Gold Standard are internationally recognized, some programs using them have revealed flaws in the implementation of practices. Similarly, a carbon exchange opened in Chicago (the Chicago Climate Exchange), but failed in 2010 after a ten-year effort. Carbon prices collapsed due to a lack of verification and robustness in the quality of carbon credits. There’s plenty to give pause to farmers and buyers who wanted to get started.

In the end, the reason why voluntary agricultural carbon finance is not developing more in the form of offsetting schemes is due to a lack of confidence in the quality of the carbon credits generated by farmers: are they permanent? are they calculated correctly? The transition to low-carbon agriculture, and more broadly, regenerative agriculture, is today better financed by insetting premiums corresponding to Scope 3 emissions, which are simpler to set up and meet the specifications set by the food industry itself, without going through carbon finance, notes Garth Boyd.

He pointed out that various companies use the Greenhouse Gas Protocol to measure, account for and manage their emissions. Examples include McDonald’s, Corteva, BASF and Unilever. The Protocol distinguishes three different emission scopes: direct emissions in Scope 1, indirect emissions linked to energy consumption in Scope 2, and other indirect emissions (upstream and downstream) in Scope 3. 

For his part, Edouard Lanckriet pointed out that the international Science-Based Targets (SBTi) methodological framework has been chosen by many companies to decarbonize their Scope 3. How can we link decarbonization frameworks for agricultural production, such as the French Label Bas Carbone, and those for industrial transformation, such as SBTi? Unfortunately, this issue has not yet been resolved^[6] .

4. Farmers looking for value: “Show me the money“

“Show me the money”: that’s how Garth Boyd sums up the attitude of farmers, who only take the risk of committing to these transitions if there’s a return on investment (new farm equipment, new seeds, and plant cover in particular). They are looking for a return on their investment after having shared their technical and economic data with MRV tool suppliers, which of course requires data privacy guarantees. 

According to Anaël Bibard, only 3% of farmers are engaged in these transitions with precision agriculture. To increase adopting significantly, data management is not the only issue.  It is necessary to support the use of data, it is also necessary to acculturate farmers to these practices and maximize their efficiency.

The results of the CarbonThink project supported by Terrasolis showed that the carbon footprint reduction potential for field crops was only 20% using the Label Bas Carbone’s field crops methodology, which is not very much, but is already a good lever for getting the process underway. For Carole Leverrier, the low-carbon approach needs to be complemented by co-benefits to attract more farmers to this transition, thus moving closer to the regenerative agriculture approach.   

Conclusion

For the time being, isn’t the value concentrated on the one hand with consultancies and companies providing costly MRV tools, and on the other with agri-food manufacturers who promote low-carbon or regenerative agriculture as a marketing tool? This raises two questions. Which link(s) in the value chain is (are) legitimate to make claims? We are convinced that farmers are, and that their efforts need to be better rewarded, so that more of them commit to and massively adopt these practices, in order to have a real impact on mitigating climate change and improving environmental health.

To find out more :

• Farm Foundation, issue report by Alejandro Plastina (May 2022) The U.S. voluntary agricultural carbon markets: where to from here?
• Agridées, Note de think tank, Marie-Cécile Damave (May 2022) Agriculture: reconciling economic profitability and climate action
• Farm Foundation, video of the Solving the barriers to agricultural carbon markets forum (April 2022)
• Agridées, video of the conference Regenerative agriculture: marketing concept or paradigm shift? (June 2022)
• Farm Foundation, video of the Emerging Carbon Markets in Agriculture: Issues and Opportunities (March 2021)

Footnotes

[1] United States Department of State and the United States Executive Office of the President (November 2021) The long term strategy of the United States – Pathways to Net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050

[2] White House (November 2022) Opportunities to accelerate nature-based solutions: a   roadmap for climate progress, thriving nature, equity, & prosperity

[3] See the dedicated USDA page: https://www.usda.gov/climate-solutions

[4] See ADM website: Second Year of ADM re:generations^TM Brings additional incentives and choices – USDA grant helps ADM expand state programs (June 30, 2023) 

[5] See the announcement of July 21, 2022: ADM, Farmers Business Network to expand sustainable AgTech platform

[6] On this point, see the article published on the Terrasolis website on March 10, 2022: Low Carbon Label and SBTi, what are the  synergies and  challenges?

This blog was co-written by Agridées Head of Innovation and International Affairs Marie-Cécile Damave and Farm Foundation Vice President of Programs and Project Martha King, both of whom served as moderators at the event. The version in French can be found at Agridées.

Photo courtesy of Marie-Anne Omnes – Agricultural Specialist, Office of Agricultural Affairs, U.S. Embassy of the United States.

The post Carbon Farming in France and in the United States: Between Hopes and Realities appeared first on Farm Foundation.

The event gathered agricultural economists to share ideas and research on global agricultural productivity. Dr. Sun Ling Wang, senior economist at the USDA’s Economic Research Service and Dr. Jessica Agnew, associate director of CALS Global at Virginia Tech, organized the event along four key thematic questions: 

• How can different methodologies result in distinct productivity estimates, and does it matter? 
• How does public R&D and patent knowledge stock affect agricultural productivity growth? 
• How does climate change influence agricultural productivity growth and what are the consequences? 
• What are the causes and consequences of agricultural productivity growth? 

In his opening remarks, Stefanou rejected the notion that agricultural total factor productivity (TFP) will necessarily exacerbate environmental degradation and identified the need for “productivity growth that preserves natural resources.”  

The presentation then continued with a consideration of how global agricultural productivity research fits into the framework Stefanou put forward. Agronomist Dr. Tom Thompson, associate dean and director of global programs at Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, which houses the GAP Initiative, summarized the GAP Initiative’s vision as a world in which “every farmer has access to every tool,” whether agronomic, economic, or environmental. He went on to describe the GAP Initiative’s progress in “promoting evidence-based solutions,” leveraging research such as that done by the more than 40 agricultural productivity economists attending the workshop. 

Considering Inputs and Environmental Accounting 

After opening remarks, the day’s sessions focused on topics such as measuring inputs in agricultural productivity analysis, with discussion centering on biological capital, irrigation water value, hedonic pricing in seed markets, and seed breeding impacts on productivity; and the interplay between climate and agricultural productivity growth, touching on extreme weather, changing crop yields, agricultural trade impacts, and long-term climate scenarios.  

The first day of the workshop also included several presentations assembled around environmental accounting in agricultural productivity analysis. Presenters addressed environmental stress on productivity, undesired climactic outputs, environmentally-adjusted TFP measures, and environmental factor accounting in TFP. A panel discussion concluded the day by further diving into environmental accounting. 

The workshop continued on the second day with a focus research and development analysis. A report on the agriculture venture capital landscape began the morning, and preceded presentations on Chinese R&D and its effects on agricultural productivity, the US patent knowledge stock, as well as research into the lag between research and observable effects and solutions.  

Then, two sessions themed around drivers of productivity growth and its climactic consequences featured presentations on food security implications of climate change, a case study of agricultural productivity growth in Argentina, and the relationship between farm labor and climate. Papers in the second of these two sessions discussed poverty reduction and agricultural productivity, climate change-induced crop yield growth, extreme heat and productivity, as well as the criteria of productivity indices under climate change.  

Perspectives from the Public and Private Sector 

Tying together the two days of productivity analysis papers, the workshop’s final presentations focused on the private and public realm. These applied presentations reminded attendees of the importance of their economic research on agricultural productivity by providing the real-world context. 

Dr. Elise Golan from the Office of the Chief Economist of USDA identified key challenges facing policymakers, and how solutions discussed in the room would help advance the fight against food insecurity, shrinking farmer incomes, and environmental degradation. Ruth Bradley, a representative from Tyson Foods Agribusiness, outlined how Tyson’s business plan offers solutions to the problems that Golan identified. Attendees then heard from Jennifer Billings, global agricultural development lead at Corteva, a supporting partner of the GAP Initiative. Billings detailed how Corteva is helping farmers across the Global South to grow agricultural productivity in the face of a shifting climate.  

Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Global Programs, which houses the GAP Initiative and hosted the workshop at the Innovation Campus, is committed to building public-private partnerships, showcasing agricultural productivity research, and creating opportunities for ideation in this space. This co-hosted workshop did just that. Agnew, co-lead of the GAP Initiative, concluded the two-day workshop with remarks on how the GAP Initiative is the ideal platform for academics, policymakers, and private sector partners to convene and make progress in feeding the world, while doing so responsibly and sustainably in a changing climate. 

Evan McKay is a participant in the 2023 Farm Foundation Agricultural Scholars program. He is a first-year master’s student in agricultural and applied economics at Virginia Tech, where he focuses on commodity markets, risk management, and agricultural productivity. He previously studied French West Africa and the Middle East before working in oil and gas finance. Evan hopes to pursue a career in international commodities markets and one day return to Virginia to farm. 

The post Economists Gather to Discuss Agricultural Productivity Growth appeared first on Farm Foundation.

The U.S. Mission to the European Union and the European Food Forum coincided with the comment period for the EU’s proposed Packaging & Packaging Waste Regulation. Additionally, at the end of May 2023, the second meeting of the United Nations Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-2) on an agreement to reduce plastic waste will be held in Paris. 

The U.S. delegation included Andrew Stephens, senior policy advisor at USDA Foreign Agricultural Service; Chris Bradley, chief marketing, design and sustainability officer at Orora Packaging; Raghela Scavuzzo, associate director of food systems development at Illinois Farm Bureau; Rafael Auras, professor in the School of Packaging at Michigan State University; Celeste Chen, senior international trade specialist at the U.S. Department of Commerce; LaShonda Korley, director of the Center for Plastics Innovation; Martha King, Farm Foundation vice president of programs and projects; and Morgan Craven, Farm Foundation senior events manager. 

Exploring Many Perspectives

Among a variety of activities, Farm Foundation and Packaging Europe hosted a public lunch dialogue, “The Future of Packaging: Innovations and Challenges in Advancing Sustainability”  on sustainable packaging for Brussels representatives of consumer brands and the packaging industry. On May 3, Farm Foundation also hosted a reception at the European Parliament following the “US-EU Dialogue on Sustainable Packaging” event hosted by the European Food Forum and the United States Mission. The dialogue event provided “an opportunity for packaging engineers, academics, sustainability experts, and consumer and civil society representatives on both sides of the Atlantic to talk about opportunities and challenges in the transition towards a more sustainable future of packaging,” according to the event’s agenda. 

The delegation also participated in a tour of the Greenyard Group’s fresh cut salad packaging facility to look at changes happening in consumer and transport packaging for produce and a tour of The Coca-Cola Company R&D near Brussels to learn about the multiple efforts happening to reduce single-use plastic waste. 

“Whether it’s changing to tethered closures, reusable crates instead of corrugated boxes, compostable stickers, and so on, regulatory changes have big ripple effects not just on large companies but farmers and small businesses alike,” says Martha King, Farm Foundation vice president of programs and projects, noting that there is often a disconnect in understanding between scientists and policy makers when it comes to materials used in food packaging. “Changes to our food packaging need to not only be environmentally and economically sustainable, but safe and grounded in food and environmental safety research.”  

A Broader Conversation on US-EU Food and Agricultural Trade

This delegation was part of a larger body of work Farm Foundation has embarked on pertaining to addressing challenges arising from the implementation of new regulatory mandates on sustainability and circular economy themes. “Practical Approaches to Circularity in US-EU Food and Agricultural Trade” is a multi-year initiative which will support the design, plan, and implementation of workshops and seminars to stakeholders, regulators, and policymakers on scientific and technical options as sustainability regulations affecting food and agricultural products arise. 

The post U.S. Delegation to Brussels Focused on Packaging and Packaging Waste in Food and Agriculture appeared first on Farm Foundation.

During her presentation, Alzbeta Klein, CEO/Director General, International Fertilizer Association, summed up the situation as: “We have a triple challenge ahead of us and that is: how do we make sure that fertilizers are available, how do we make sure that they are affordable in all parts of the world, and how do we do that sustainably?”

Klein was joined by Farm Foundation Board Member Cheri De Jong, principal owner of Natural Prairie Dairy and owner and CFO of AgriVision Farm Management; Corey Rosenbusch, president and CEO of The Fertilizer Institute; Karl Theis, founder, and Linda Thrasher, president and co-founder, of Greenfield Nitrogen. The panel was moderated by Farm Foundation Round Table Fellow Jay Vroom, chief innovation officer at Vroom Leigh Agriculture, LLC.

Included in the discussion were two technologies being currently used to create innovative fertilizer sources close to where they will be used – one using electrolysis and the other using mechanical vapor recompression. The presenters also discussed current market conditions affecting fertilizer production worldwide.

The post Farm Foundation Forum Explores Sustainable Fertilizer appeared first on Farm Foundation.

Farm Foundation, an accelerator of practical solutions for agriculture, has named Dr. Trey Malone as its 2023 Agricultural Economics Fellow. Malone is a food and agricultural economist whose primary research interests are agribusiness entrepreneurship and resiliency in agri-food supply chains. 

Farm Foundation’s Agricultural Economics Fellow program is a yearlong program for a faculty agricultural economist. The 2023 fellowship is focused on sustainable food systems and will provide an opportunity to work with diverse stakeholders on integrated systems approaches to building more sustainable food systems, with a special focus on agricultural production approaches.

In addition to being mentored by staff in USDA’s Office of the Chief Economist, Malone in turn will mentor participants in the Farm Foundation and USDA Economic Research Service Agricultural Scholars program, among other engagements.

“We are excited to welcome Dr. Malone to our Agricultural Economics Fellowship program,” says Martha King, vice president of programs and projects at Farm Foundation. “His perspectives on agribusiness and consumer behavior will be an invaluable resource and will serve as a unique springboard for collaboration.”

As part of his fellowship, Malone will author a Farm Foundation Issue Report, adding to his considerable body of publications and accolades. Since 2016, he has published more than 50 articles in peer-reviewed journals and has won multiple research awards, including the Emerging Scholar Award from the Southern Agricultural Economics Association and the Presidential Award for Excellence in Research and Communication from the Food Distribution Research Society. 

He currently serves as co-editor of the Agricultural & Resource Economics Review and managing editor of the International Food & Agribusiness Review.  He is also an assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness at the University of Arkansas. Prior to this, he was an assistant professor and extension economist in the Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics at Michigan State University. 

He holds master’s and doctorate degrees in agricultural economics from Oklahoma State University and a bachelor’s degree from Rockhurst University.  His insights have been featured in popular press outlets, including the New York Times, CNBC, USA Today, Fast Company, and Popular Science.

The post <strong>Farm Foundation® Announces 2023 Agricultural Economics Fellow</strong> appeared first on Farm Foundation.

The research features a variety of topics with a dedicated focus on economic challenges and opportunities experienced by new agriculture professionals. The Farm Foundation conference featured paper presentations and discussions led by researchers in academia and the government, practitioners, policy experts, farmers and ranchers. The event examined issues that hinder or facilitate the entry of beginning farmers, as well as highlighted successful programs, innovative ideas and future solutions to support new professionals in the industry.

“When we organized a research conference, we were impressed with the high level of participation and  knew that we needed to play a role in giving researchers a publishing home for their work,” said Jeffery Hopkins, chief of USDA’s ERS Farm Economy Branch. “We were especially pleased with the range of submissions that treated potential barriers for beginning farmers and ranchers and are hopeful that the special issue of Agricultural Finance Review will continue to inform stakeholders across the agricultural sector and be cited by others carrying out this research.”

The new journal issue includes research and resources that can help young farmers and ranchers, as well as the industry professionals who support them. Research topics include:

• Credit constraints, survival and growth
• Land tenure and profitability
• Management and ownership transfer in small and medium family farms
• The landowner role in land access
• Exploring the adoption of technologies among the specialty crops industry
• The profitability implication of sales through local food markets
• Factors that affect entry and exit

Farm Foundation is proud to support the seminal research which inspired this issue as part of our mission to leverage the power of collaboration between food and agricultural stakeholders to advance agriculture in positive ways. The original conference content that contributed to the journal content is freely available on the Farm Foundation video archive.

While the the full issue of the Agriculture Finance Review is not publicly available, the editorial by Jeffrey W. Hopkins, Department of Farm Economy Branch, USDA Economic Research Service, can be viewed and downloaded here. Additional resources for new farmers are also available on the USDA website.

The post Farm Foundation® Conference Proceedings Inform Academic Journal Issue appeared first on Farm Foundation.

The journal issue covers a variety of topics that can help young farmers and ranchers, as well as those who serve them. They include:

• Credit constraints, survival, and growth
• Land tenure and profitability
• Management and ownership transfer in small and medium family farms
• The landowner role in land access
• Exploring the adoption of technologies among the specialty crops industry
• The profitability implication of sales through local food markets
• Factors that affect entry and exit

Farm Foundation is proud to support the seminal research which inspired this issue as part of our mission to leverage the power of collaboration between food and agricultural stakeholders to advance agriculture in positive ways. The original conference content that contributed to the journal content is freely available on the Farm Foundation archive.

More resources for new farmers are also available on the USDA website.

The post New Resources for Beginning Farmers and Ranchers are Now Available appeared first on Farm Foundation.