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The U.S. Division of Agriculture’s (USDA) “climate-smart” packages are sometimes climate-neutral, and in some instances climate-negative, in response to a brand new report.
Of $5.5 billion despatched to farmers by way of one in every of USDA’s predominant environmental packages between 2017 and 2022, solely $1.7 billion — 31 p.c — funded practices on the division’s official climate-smart record, in response to the Environmental Working Group (EWG). Of the highest 10 practices funded by that program in 2023, solely two have been on the climate-smart record, the non-profit group mentioned.
“A lot of the [remaining] $3.8 billion in funding went to structural practices like fencing, different livestock practices and irrigation practices,” mentioned Anne Schechinger, EWG’s Midwest director.
USDA’s Environmental High quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is among the division’s largest conservation subsidy packages. It supplies funding for a spread of actions on a “climate-smart” record, together with cowl crops that shield soil and enhance its fertility, no-till soil routines and wetland restoration. EQIP is vital as a result of 10.6 p.c of the US’s complete greenhouse emissions in 2023 got here from agriculture, in response to USDA.
However in 2023 and 2024, 14 “provisional” practices have been added to the climate-smart record. “Provisional practices are added to the record ‘provisionally’ as a result of USDA doesn’t have any knowledge/quantification to indicate that they really scale back emissions,” mentioned Schechinger.
A kind of practices is waste storage, particularly the development of manure lagoons. Waste accounts for 11 p.c of U.S. agricultural emissions, and manure lagoons launch giant quantities of nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse fuel. Manure additionally typically pollutes streams, consuming water and groundwater.
This isn’t the primary time EQIP has come beneath fireplace. “EQIP specifically pays for agricultural practices that aren’t environmentally useful or in some instances actively make the surroundings worse,” in response to a report by the Institute for Agriculture and Commerce Coverage printed in 2022.
Ten practices funded by EQIP have been “industrial” or “factory-farm pleasant,” in response to that report, which additionally cited waste storage services as an issue.
A spokesperson for USDA referred to as EWG’s analysis “basically flawed.”
“Sadly, EWG didn’t take into consideration the rigorous, science-based methodology utilized by USDA to find out eligible practices, not the extent of specificity required through the implementation course of to make sure the practices’ climate-smart advantages are being maximized,” USDA spokesperson Allan Rodriguez instructed GreenBiz.
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