USDA

There could be billions of dollars coming for conservation: What does that mean for rural communities?

Congress and the Biden administration are working on a sweeping infrastructure package known as the American Jobs Plan. This package is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fix what’s broken in the United States, create good-paying jobs, combat the climate crisis and invest in rural places. In order to be truly transformative for farm country, specific investments need to be made.

What the USDA could do on climate

The Biden administration’s approach to the climate crisis has been all-hands-on-deck. That means all departments and agencies, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), are supposed to report to the White House on climate action steps.

New EPA emissions data should guide Biden on agriculture and climate

“We must listen to science — and act,” reads President Joe Biden’s January 27 Executive Order on climate change. For the farming sector, the latest greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory data from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) indicates that the U.S. needs to transition away from factory farm systems of meat and dairy production to reduce rising agriculture emissions.

Five questions for Vilsack: What will be different in return to USDA?

When Tom Vilsack began his first term as agriculture secretary in 2009, IATP lifted up a series of challenges and opportunities for the department, urging him to follow in the path of another Iowan at USDA, Henry Wallace. We wrote: “the central challenges once again are markets run amok and the unsustainable farming practices they promote.” We pointed out “the real winners in the system are a tiny handful of agribusiness companies, who profit from the boom bust cycle and whose anti-competitive control of the market hurts farmers an

Agricultural knowledge and the future of food systems: The IAASTD project

Some 12 years ago, IATP contributed to a chapter of the first International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD). About 400 authors contributed to a global report and five regionally specific reports produced with the help of two rounds of peer reviews of drafts.

Don’t grant global meat corporations immunity, hold them accountable for COVID-19 failures

As the Senate reconvenes this week, a lobbying blitz to grant corporations special immunity protection is ramping up. Global meat companies are helping lead the charge, and it’s easy to see why.