Obama Establishes Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience to Support US Agriculture
President Obama recently established a Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience to advise on how the Federal Government can respond to the needs of those facing the impacts of climate change. According to the USDA blog, the task force will hopefully help American agriculture mitigate and adapt to the impacts of a changing climate.
This past June, USDA put forward a series of new policies to help agriculture develop new climate solutions in the months and years to come. The USDA has taken steps to create seven new regional climate hubs that will aid in sharing climate information for farmers and ranchers and has also released the results of the Rapid Carbon Assessment to help improve research efforts.
The Executive Order directs Federal agencies to engage in similar efforts across the government to mitigate the impacts of climate change. The blog states, "We will ensure that our risk management and conservation programs allow producers to undertake modern practices and provide new possibilities for producers and landowners to capitalize on their good stewardship. We’ll continue to help producers manage land and water by increasing participation in conservation programs on farms and private forest lands. We’ll build on the Rapid Carbon Assessment and COMET-Farm tools to continue providing useful data and information to help prepare for climate change impacts."
USDA scientists will continue a wide range of research to learn more about the impacts of climate change on agriculture.
USDA Blog
