The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Thursday announced the formation of the Agriculture Innovation Agenda, a department-wide initiative designed to increase production and decrease the environmental footprint of American agricultural goods over the next thirty years.
The initiative outlines a strategy to harmonize public and private research efforts, increase the utilization of conservation technologies and track the progress of conservation practices through data collection. USDA has identified these strategies to meet specific environmental goals for U.S. agriculture, including: increasing agricultural production by 40 percent and cutting the environmental footprint of U.S. agriculture in half by 2050.
Additionally, USDA stated it intends to “increase biofuel feedstock production and biofuel production efficiency and competitiveness to achieve market-driven blend rates of E15 in 2030 and E30 in 2050” as well as to “achieve market-driven demand for biomass and biodiesel,” according to its press release.
USDA will seek to reduce food loss and waste by 50 percent in the U.S. by 2030, reduce nutrient loss in water quality by 30 percent nationally by 2050, leverage the agriculture sector’s renewable energy resources and technologies to achieve a net reduction in the agriculture sector’s current carbon footprint by 2050.
“We know we have a challenge facing us: to meet future food, fiber, fuel, and feed demands with finite resources. USDA’s Agriculture Innovation Agenda is our opportunity define American agriculture’s role to feed everyone and do right as a key player in the solution to this challenge,” said Secretary Perdue. “This agenda is a strategic, department-wide effort to better align USDA’s resources, programs, and research to provide farmers with the tools they need to be successful. We are also continually mindful of the need for America’s agriculture industry to be environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable to maintain our position as a leader in the global effort to meet demand. We are committed as ever to the environmental sustainability and continued success, of America’s farmers, ranchers, foresters, and producers.”
