The Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance (FACA) was established to provide recommendations to help guide federal climate policy. Formed in February 2020, FACA is co-chaired by the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, and National Farmers Union. FACA has grown to include the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, National Alliance of Forest Owners, The Nature Conservancy, and FMI – The Food Industry Association. More than 40 policy recommendations have been developed by the alliance.
“It was important for us to have policies that respected our farmers among other priorities. I’m pleased to report that these recommendations do just that,” AFBF President Zippy Duvall said during a video conference. “We united around three principles: supporting voluntary markets and incentive-based policies, advancing science-based outcomes, and promote resilience to help rural economies better adapt to climate change.”
The central theme of the recommendations is to do no harm. FACA believes that climate concerns need to be addressed while also considering the potential impact that solutions can have on farmers, the environment, and rural communities. Policies must be developed carefully and account for inequities and potential consequences and tradeoffs. Six key focus areas have been identified as policy priorities. Soil health, livestock and dairy, forestry and wood products, energy, research, and food loss and waste are listed as critical areas to address with policy recommendations.
The Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance brings together farmers, environmental advocates, the food sector, and forest owners. Creating an alliance between a multitude of different stakeholders is intended to provide a more well-rounded approach to address climate changes challenges. “The wide array of perspectives represented in this group — farmers, ranchers, forest owners and environmental advocates — sends a powerful message to Capitol Hill about the urgent need for bipartisan climate legislation,” FACA Co-Chair and EDF President, Fred Krupp said in a press release.
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