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Secretary of the Treasury has served as Secretary for nine years and was elected to two terms. AgricultureTom Vilsack has undoubtedly shepherded American history. Farmersthrough some of its most difficult times since The Dust Bowl.
The 2008 recession, globalization, and the effects of corporate governance Family-run farming, the crisis of farmers’ suicidesA pandemic and a pandemic were the top issues. Over all, there is the spiraling threat Climate change
Talking with The Independent Secretary Vilsack stated Friday that American farmers had long ago come around to the existential question.
“Years ago when I first started this job, there was a reluctance to acknowledge climate issues,” Secretary Vilsack told The Independent “[Now] I don’t see that reluctance.”
Another pressing crisis – the Russian invasion of Ukraine – would have a “minimal” impact on US agriculture, he said. “My biggest concern is for the Ukrainian people, and the effect it’s going to have on their lives,” he said.
On Monday, a landmark report from the United Nation’s International Panel on Climate Change (IPCCThe coming decades will see seismic shifts in global agricultural production.
Overshooting 1.5C global heating above preindustrial levels will result in more heat waves, and longer warm seasons. Heat extremes at 2C of warming will likely exceed critical levels for agriculture in many regions.
Even with current temperatures, millions are still facing food and water shortages, especially the most vulnerable.
Extreme events linked to climate change have increased in number across the US. A historic and prolonged “megadrought”, and accompanying water restrictions in the US West, have seen Farmers remove almond trees California
A derecho decimated the Midwest in 2020. It destroyed $802 million in soybeans, corn and Iowa pastures. Farmers take on one-third the losses.
August’s Hurricane Ida brought half a million in damages. Louisiana’s agricultural sector It is mainly used in timber products, but also sugarcane, horticulture, and the destruction of expensive farm equipment.
Sec. Vilsack, a former Iowa governor, served as Secretary of Agriculture from January 2009 until 2017, the longest-serving member of President Barack Obama’s original Cabinet. Under President Joe Biden, he returned to the position last year.
Agriculture accounts for 10 per cent of the US’s total carbon footprint, making pollution cuts in the sector a crucial part of President Biden’s goal to half domestic emissions, below 2005 levels, by the end of the decade.
Sec. Vilsack described agriculture as a “big part of the solution”, pointing to the capacity for soil to sequester carbon, and converting methane produced by livestock into fuel sources.
At the Cop26 climate summit, in Glasgow, the United States and United Arab Emirates launched an initiative, which involved dozens of countries, businesses, and non-government partners, to invest $4bn in agriculture and food systems innovation over five years, to help combat climate change and decrease hunger.
The Agriculture Innovation Mission for ClimateAIM for Climate) will financially back the acceleration and deployment of innovative technologies which are “key to maintaining productivity in the face of climate change”, Secretary Vilsack said.
“There’s just unlimited opportunities here, to also create more income opportunities for farmers while we’re doing it,” he added.
Ministers from partner countries agreed to double investment to $8 billion at a meeting held in Dubai last month. Cop27 will be held in Sharm El-Sheikh in November.
Part of the mission are so-called “innovation sprints”. The first two focuses will be to help smallholder farmers in low and middle-income countries. Also, the mission will include reducing methane, which is a powerful GHG that traps around 30 times more heat than CO2. This will have immediate benefits for the climate.
AIM involves a broad range of players including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the US Farmers & Ranchers in Action, World Farmers Organisation, Pepsi and McDonald’s.
IBM and the Nature Conservancy of India have partnered to provide weather forecasting technology for smallholder farmers. Satellite monitoring will be used to determine the amount and quality of biomass in pastoral livestock systems.
This is a collaborative effort to identify innovative ideas from around the globe and share that knowledge with others, allowing them to be widely adopted. In US farming communities, there is growing enthusiasm towards participating in large-scale pilot projects for so-called “climate-smart” strategies, Sec Vilsack said.
A special IPCC report for 2019It was found that efforts to reduce climate change will not succeed without drastic changes in land use and agriculture. Therefore, it was recommended that meat consumption be decreased. Global livestock is responsible for 14.5 Percent of all human-caused greenhouse emissions. It uses 25% of Earth’s land for livestock grazing and 33% to produce livestock feed.
Secretary Vilsack said that he didn’t believe there needed to be a switch from livestock production over to more plant-based agriculture.
“I don’t think you necessarily have to reduce one aspect of agriculture to be able to encourage another aspect,” he said.
“I think it’s important that we recognize that all methods of production are important, and all technologies, whether it’s plant-based proteins, livestock, vertical farming, indoor farming, hydroponics, aeroponics.
“There’s multiple ways in which we can be more productive, and also more sustainable. The key is to understand that sustainability doesn’t have to be sacrificed for productivity, nor does productivity have to be sacrificed for sustainability.”
The Samaritans provides support for those who are feeling isolated and distressed or struggling to cope. You can reach someone anonymously over the phone at 116 123 (UK & ROI) or by email at [email protected]To find the nearest Samaritans branch, you can either call or visit the Samaritans Website. If you live in the USA and require mental health assistance, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline at 1-800-273 TALK (8255). The Helpline is a confidential, anonymous crisis hotline that is available to all 24 hours a days, seven days a săptămână.You can travel to another country if you are currently in another country. www.befrienders.orgTo find a helpline close to you
