Agriculture

IATP has been advocating for fair and sustainable agriculture and food systems for more than 35 years. Learn more about our agriculture work on our Agriculture & Food Systems page.

Senate climate bill prioritizes markets over the climate

Today, Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Mike Braun (R-IN) and Lindsay Graham (R-SC) introduced the Growing Climate Solutions Act, a bill that would create a certification program through USDA to facilitate farmer participation in voluntary carbon mark

Rising calls for supply management amidst COVID-19 crisis

“You can't shut down cows. You can't turn them off like a faucet.”

Minnesota regulators side with mega-farm

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) released its decision last week on whether to permit Daley Farms, one of the largest dairies in the state, to expand from 1,500 to 4,000 cows. Despite concerns about climate change and water quality impacts of industrial feedlots, the agency decided to award Daley Farms a permit to expand.

COVID-19 aid offers little for farmers selling locally

Late on Friday, Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), a $19 billion payout that includes cash for farmers and ranchers and purchases food for redistribution to food banks.

Revisiting Crisis by Design: Corporate concentration in agriculture

The horizontal concentration in nearly all aspects of agricultural production, processing and distribution that began in the 1980s has become entrenched.

Revisiting Crisis by Design: Climate change — crisis by denial?

Climate change is increasingly disrupting farmers, the agriculture economy and rural communities. The growth of industrial agricultural operations and practices are increasing greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture.

Revisiting Crisis by Design: The agricultural technology treadmill

Agricultural technology has enabled overproduction of agricultural commodities, which has left farmers dependent on taxpayer funds in most years to compensate for low commodity prices. Technology adoption statistics do not measure the impacts of technologies on rural communities, particularly in developing countries.

Revisiting Crisis by Design: Organic, agroecological and regenerative agriculture

Organic agriculture has grown substantially since its beginnings as an alternative movement, including by more than 50% in the last 15 years.

Revisiting Crisis by Design: Land tenure

Increases in farm debt, bankruptcies and land values have far outstripped farm assets and income, making it increasingly difficult for farmers to hold on to their land. Corporate and investor-owned land has doubled since the 1980s, and the number of farms owned by corporations and investors rose by nearly 10% between 2012 and 2017.

Uprooting the farm crisis in times of COVID-19

The COVID-19 emergency exposes numerous catastrophic failures in our economies and societies.

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