Ryan Stockwell, PhD, is the The Nature Conservancy's Director of North America Regenerative Crop Systems Strategy
The clear trend in agriculture is toward reducing carbon emissions and increasing carbon sequestration through the adoption of regenerative farming practices, like no-till, cover crops, diverse crop rotation, and agroforestry. The adoption of these practices has been supported by tremendous growth in carbon sequestration opportunities for growers—from carbon credits to USDA-funded climate-smart commodity projects to supply chain Scope 3 emissions reductions opportunities.
What isn’t as clear is how these opportunities will firmly benefit farmers for the value they provide, including carbon sequestration and emission reduction, improved water quality, and enhanced wildlife habitat. While some farmers are participating in climate-smart opportunities, adoption of regenerative practices isn’t happening fast enough or reaching far enough to outpace the impacts of climate change in the agriculture industry. In order to encourage more farmers to adopt or increase use of regenerative practices, climate-smart programs must keep the economic and societal well-being of farmers at the forefront. But how? And what would that look like? Certainly, ensuring farmers are fairly compensated helps. But as most farmers can attest, it takes more than incentives to implement a new practice.