http://inthesetimes.com/rural-america/entry/22291/soil-loss-climate-green-new-deal-agriculture-transition-regenerative-farms
Friday, Feb 7, 2020, 10:14 am A Green New Deal Must Offer Farmers a Way to
Transition to Regenerative Agriculture By Mackenzie Feldman and John Ikerd
<http://inthesetimes.com/community/profile/323343>


<http://inthesetimes.com/rural-america/entry/22291/soil-loss-climate-green-new-deal-agriculture-transition-regenerative-farms>
Floodwaters surround a farm on March 22 near Craig, Mo. Many farmers in the
Midwest were unable to plant crops last year because of the floods and Farm
Aid’s hotline call volume increased 109% from 2017. Around 75% of the calls
were because of natural disasters.   Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images

Last year, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Ed Markey
(D-Mass.) introduced a resolution to Congress calling for an ambitious
re-imagining of the U.S. economy―one that would tackle both climate change
and inequality.

Now with broad support among democratic presidential hopefuls, the Green
New Deal resolution highlights the transformation of energy,
transportation, health care and employment systems in our country, while
briefly mentioning food and agriculture.

We believe, however, that since agriculture is both a major contributor to
climate change and one of the key solutions, it should be a major part of
the Green New Deal. In a new report by Data for Progress, titled
“Regenerative Farming and the Green New Deal,”
<https://www.dataforprogress.org/memos/regenerative-agriculture-and-the-green-new-deal>
we
propose addressing climate change, and the economic hardship faced by small
farmers, by providing a supportive transition from unhealthy soil practices
to regenerative farming systems.

Right now, soil health is declining because intensive farming practices,
including monocultures, deplete soil organic matter, destroy the biological
health of soil, and increase the soil’s vulnerability to erosion.
Concurrently, floods disperse prime topsoil from highly erodible monocrop
operations while pesticides and commercial fertilizers kill the beneficial
insects and microorganisms that create and support healthy soils.

As the land is being degraded, farmers increasingly feel the effects of
unsustainable farming practices and climate change. For example, many
farmers in the Midwest were unable to plant crops last year because of the
floods. Farm debt has now reached levels not seen since 1980, and last
year, Farm Aid’s hotline call volume increased 109% from 2017. Around 75%
of the calls were because of natural disasters.

It is estimated that the total cost of erosion
<https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/soils/use/?cid=nrcs142p2_054028>
from agriculture in the U.S. is as high as $44 billion per year. But the
fact is, “society” is not the one being asked to make the tangible change
on the ground. The farmers are. In addition, the economic benefit to
farmers of erosion control is far less than the costs of soil erosion to
society.  If we are to resolve this dilemma, we cannot rely on the moral
society versus self-interested farmer argument and assume that conventional
farmers do not also feel a deep sense of responsibility to care for the
land. To make transformational change in farm policies, we must make this
change economically feasible for farmers and assist them through the
transition by rewarding farmers for ecological services and investing in
healthy soils training for farmers.

The Data for Progress report argues that combating soil erosion and
restoring soil health through thoughtful and sustainable farming practices
can be economically viable solutions to the current farming models. The top
proposals include:

   -

   Transitioning from current crop insurance programs, which incentivize
   unhealthy soil practices, to basic farm income insurance programs, which
   could make it economically feasible for farmers to transition to
   regenerative farming systems.
   -

   Training and incentivizing farmers to transition to regenerative farming
   through programs such as Conservation Steward Programs (CSP) and the USDA’s
   National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), which teaches farmers to
   build soil, sequester carbon, and practice regenerative agriculture.

Right now, the government incentivizes monoculture farms over diversified
farming systems and actively does not support farmers engaged, or who want
to engage, in diversified farming systems. As a result, our current farming
methods hurt society and cost Americans their money.

Without proper training, these farmers are not adequately prepared to make
the necessary changes. And by not providing education, the U.S. government
directly prevents progressive farming practices in the areas that need it
most. This lack of support has consequences: The pervasive soil erosion
across the U.S. limits productivity, kills microorganisms, and costs
Americans―especially farmers―their livelihoods.

Because we rely on our farmers to be on the forefront of the fight to
mitigate climate change, we need to find a way to make this change
economically feasible for farmers. That’s exactly what a Green New Deal
should be all about.