Meat+Poultry - December 2022 - 14

WASHINGTON
Climate-smart investments
On Nov. 12, Secretary of Agriculture
Tom Vilsack announced an additional
$300 million in government support
would go toward climate-smart
agricultural projects, bringing the total
investment to $3.1 billion. The more
than 65 additional projects will focus
on small and underserved producers
and methods for monitoring, reporting
and verifying the benefits of climatesmart
projects.
" Small and underserved producers
are at the frontlines of the worst
impacts of climate change around the
world, " Vilsack said. " At the same time,
there is enormous and growing market
demand for agricultural goods that are
produced in a sustainable, climatesmart
way.
" Our goal is to expand markets
for climate-smart commodities and
make sure that small and underserved
producers reap the benefits of these
market opportunities. "
The announcement came as the
2022 United Nations Climate Change
Conference (COP27) wrapped up.
Through the international COP27
platform, Vilsack showcased the
work of Climate-Smart Commodities,
including the recent investment in
70 pilot projects from the first round
of funding.
EAGER PARTICIPANTS
In September, Vilsack announced
a $2.8 billion investment as part of
the Partnerships for Climate-Smart
Commodities funding program. More
than 450 project proposals were
submitted during the first funding
round from over 350 entities. After
reviewing the proposals, the USDA
tripled its investment from the initial $1
billion announced earlier this year.
" Because of the unprecedented
demand and interest in the program,
and potential for meaningful
opportunities to benefit producers
through the proposals, the Biden-Harris
administration increased the total
funding allocation to more than $3
billion, " the agency said.
Applicants for the first round
included nonprofit organizations,
for-profits, government entities,
farmer cooperatives, energy
and environmental groups,
universities, small businesses and
large corporations.
" There is strong and growing
interest in the private sector and
among consumers for food that is
grown in a climate-friendly way, "
Vilsack said. The initial selections for
the Partnerships for Climate-Smart
Commodities demonstrated that " ...
USDA is delivering on our promise
to build and expand these market
opportunities for American agriculture
and be global leaders in climate-smart
agricultural production. This effort will
increase the competitive advantage
of US agriculture both domestically
and internationally, build wealth that
stays in rural communities and support
a diverse range of producers and
operation types. "
ADDITIONAL ACTIONS
In addition, the US Department
of Agriculture is establishing an
International Climate Hub, which will
develop region-specific technologies to
help inform climate-smart decisions,
especially for countries most
vulnerable to climate change.
" As USDA and our partners
worldwide invest in new programs
and innovations around climate, we
recognize that sharing information
- on successes, challenges and
approaches - can have broad global
benefits, " Vilsack said. " A sustained
commitment to learning and action
among the international community
will be critical to accelerating the
uptake of proven climate-smart
agriculture and forestry practices. "
The United States will host the
Agriculture Innovation Mission for
Climate Summit May 8-10, 2023, in
Washington, DC. The conference
brings together private- and
public-sector partners from across
the world to collaborate on climatesmart
innovations.
RACHAEL OATMAN | roatman@sos land.com
" A sustained commitment to learning
and action among the international
community will be critical to accelerating
the uptake of proven climate-smart
agriculture and forestry practices. "
- TOM VILSACK
14 MEAT+POULTRY | 12.22 | www.meatpoultry.com
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