As part of our partnership with U.S. Farmers and Ranchers in Action (USFRA) and WBCSD’s Scaling Positive Agriculture, this report examines how innovations in finance and technology can be applied to overcome barriers to adoption of climate-smart agriculture practices to fulfill the mitigation, reduction, and investment potential of the U.S. agriculture sector at scale.
The report offers vital insights into the need for targeted, high-impact investments in agriculture and a clear picture of the potential scale of immediate and long-term environmental, societal, and economic returns of investments in climate-smart agriculture.
Key outcomes of the report :
- Farmers and ranchers need investment to realize the promise of carbon drawdown by scaling up climate-smart, soil-centric agriculture practices.
- The report focuses on six established practices:
- No-till/reduced tillage with retained residues
- Cover crops
- Crop rotation
- Compost application
- Managed grazing
- Integrated crop and livestock systems
Each of these practices benefits soil health and supports water quality.
- With USD $972 billion flowing annually into the value chain, innovative financial mechanisms – e.g., green bonds and community finance – are needed to realign capital.
Calls-to-action include:
- Improve and more broadly adopt on-farm digital tools,
data standards and connectivity - Make case for climate-smart agriculture in the
broader portfolio of net zero economy investments - Connect capital with willing producer ecosystems