CLIMATE-SMART AGRICULTURE CERTIFICATION: A CALL FOR FEDERAL ACTION

Agriculture systems are extremely susceptible to the consequences of climate change. Extreme weather events, changing temperature patterns, and invasive pests and weeds threaten our nation’s crop yields and food security. U.S. agriculture is also a leading contributor to climate change, as industrial farming and land management practices emit around a third of nationwide greenhouse gases. Certain climate-friendly agriculture practices have the potential to combat climate change by sequestering carbon and reducing emissions. Despite this opportunity, current federal farming policies, heavily influenced by “big-ag” lobbyists and consolidated farming industries, do not incentivize such “climate-smart” agriculture practices. This Comment proposes a federal climate-smart certification program for producers who use such practices. In comparison to USDA organic certification, where the government responded to fears about pesticide and synthetic fertilizer use by creating a trustworthy indicator for organic producers, it asks Congress to now take action to identify those producers who practice climate-smart agriculture and to catalyze a widespread transition through Farm Bill policy. It argues that certification would standardize climate-smart agriculture throughout the United States by establishing minimum best practices, assuring consumers of the truthfulness of producers’ environmental claims, and incentivizing farmers through government subsidies and benefits. A USDA-enforced seal could create a lucrative and environmentally sustainable market for climate-smart commodities. With government support, consumer buy-in, and broad farmer adoption, U.S. agriculture could in fact combat climate change, rather than exacerbate it.