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Vilsack talks of agriculture as climate change solution

2014_0924_VilsackTom Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack addresses the crowd at the launch of the Global Alliance of Climate-Smart Agriculture today. (Jerry Hagstrom/The Hagstrom Report)


NEW YORK CITY — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today participated in the launch of the Global Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture here today as details of the organization emerged, U.S. farm groups announced their participation in a North American effort, Secretary of State John Kerry welcomed the alliance and the first criticism of it emerged. (See following stories.)

The event took place in a hotel on the sidelines of the United Nations Climate Summit.

The purpose of the alliance is to raise the issue of climate change in the context of agriculture at the highest political levels, in order to increase productivity and achieve adaptation and mitigation. Agriculture officials from many countries and representatives of farm groups, academia and nongovernmental groups were present. It will be managed by a small secretariat in Rome, where the U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization is located.

“Agriculture is too often thought of as a cause of climate change and its symptoms. We are here to talk about agriculture as a solution,” Vilsack said.

Farmers worldwide have the same goal, he added, “to produce in a sustainable way.”

“Farmers must at all times be one part nurturer, trend forecaster, scientist and business person,” Vilsack noted.

The United States, he said, has launched a soil health initiative to work with farmers to increase organic matter, especially soil carbon, and to encourage cover crops.

“Healthier soils do a better job of storing scarce water,” Vilsack noted.

The United States has also established regional climate hubs, he said, and will support research into technologies and practices to aid adaptation to climate change and mitigation of it.

USDA is sharing publicly developed knowledge through its global open data project, Vilsack said, but “the alliance takes that concept of cross-cutting information to a new level.”

He also noted that President Barack Obama has announced that the U.S. government will integrate the climate change issue into all its international development and nutrition programs, with a particular emphasis on the role of female farmers.

USDA, the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development “are committed to make the Global Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture a true success,” Vilsack said. “While we bring a lot to the table we know full well we have a lot to learn from our alliance colleagues.”

“This will not be a short-term task, nor will it be simple, “he said, but it is necessary “to put the food supply on a strong footing in the years to come.”

Obama Administration Launches Global Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture