U.S. cropland could lose two inches of soil nationwide by 2035 if climate change delivers its expected droughts and floods, said the Union of Concerned Scientists on Thursday. In a report, the group recommended such steps as crop insurance discounts for farmers who adopt practices that reduce erosion and improve soil health.
“Policymakers should also improve enforcement of conservation compliance and strengthen requirements for highly erodible soils,” said the report, Eroding the Future.
Created by the 1985 farm law, conservation compliance requires farmers to implement a plan to control erosion on highly erodible land and to not convert wetlands into cropland if they want to receive federal subsidies.
Erosion rates have slowed in recent decades, but “soil loss from the nation’s farms is still unsustainable,” said the UCS report. The average amount of soil lost to erosion annually is 4.6 tons an acre. In 1982, the average loss was 7 tons an acre, according to USDA data. Erosion could be reduced to an average of 2.7 tons per acre by 2035 with the widespread adoption of conservation practices, said the report.