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February 28, 2024
Agriculture agency set aside nearly $3bn to give to farmers who cut emissions, but about $1.9bn spent on practices not doing that
More than half of federal funding for “climate-smart” agriculture in the US goes to farming practices that are unlikely to reduce greenhouse gas emissions – and in some cases, would even increase them, according to a new report by the non-profit Environmental Working Group (EWG).
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) set aside more than $3bn to give to farmers who practice “climate-smart” agriculture, but roughly $1.9bn of it is being spent on practices that experts say aren’t actually combating the climate crisis.
The report, released today, delves into one of USDA’s largest conservation programs, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Designed to incentivize eco-friendly farming, the program pays for an array of conservation practices proven to reduce emissions or sequester carbon. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is pouring an additional $8.45bn into “climate-smart” EQIP practices between 2023 and 2026.
“A lot of that money will end up going to practices that don’t actually have proven climate benefits,” said Anne Schechinger, an agricultural economist who authored the EWG report. “There’s not a lot outside of these federal programs that are going to help farmers reduce their emissions. So if this money isn’t going to the right practices, then agriculture as a whole in the United States is not going to reduce their emissions.”
To read the full article, click here:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/28/us-farming-climate-crisis-funding
