The USDA has taken steps to encourage climate resilience in the farm sector, “but the department could do more,” said the Government Accountability Office on Thursday. In a report, it listed 13 options. Some were relatively modest, such as prioritizing climate resilience as part of conservation planning. Others were sure to be controversial, such as requiring farmers to adopt climate-resilient practices if they want premium subsidies on crop insurance.
“USDA officials said that some of the options could be implemented administratively through resilience planning updates required by executive orders, while others would require additional authority,” said the GAO report. “The appropriate mix of options is a policy choice that requires complex trade-off decisions.”
Tying crop subsidies to the adoption of additional conservation standards could reduce the likelihood that the USDA would support high-risk production, said the report. “According to several experts, this option would be politically difficult to implement.” A similar idea, for additional crop insurance requirements, “would be technically challenging to implement,” since there is no standardized methodology to prove a reduction in climate risks.
Farm-state lawmakers are wary that climate mitigation efforts would create additional hurdles to participating in USDA programs. At a hearing last week, Agriculture Undersecretary Robert Bonnie said that land stewardship programs should remain voluntary and incentive-based. “If it doesn’t work for agriculture, it’s not going to work for climate,” he said.
The GAO’s list of options included offering premium subsidies on crop insurance to producers who adopt climate-smart practices. However, experts said that such approaches might work at cross-purposes, since some practices that can enhance climate resilience do so at the expense of crop yields, and could discourage farmers from adopting the practices.
Other options included the collection of data on successful climate-resilience practices and the expansion of USDA technical assistance programs.
The report could be useful as Congress works on the new farm bill, said Rep. Chellie Pingree of Maine, who requested the study. “GAO’s report reaffirms what we have long known: that climate change impacts agriculture, and that there are significant opportunities to help farmers adapt to climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
The GAO report is available here.