Today, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry held a hearing regarding “Climate Change and the Agriculture Sector” to explore the role America’s farmers and ranchers play in addressing climate change mitigation and adaptation.
“Maintaining the health of our planet for future generations is, of course, of paramount importance,” said U.S. Senator Pat Roberts, R-Kan., Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. “So is feeding the billions of people that populate the Earth today and in the years ahead. Obviously, climate change is a complex and global issue. We must be thoughtful, informed and deliberate in considering potential responses and consequences.”
“Today, obviously farmers do not produce food in the same manner as previous generations did. Over time, advancements in science and technology have provided farmers the ability to produce more food, feed, and fiber while using less inputs and resources.”
Roberts continued, “If farmers are hindered from utilizing existing technologies and research, or if unsound regulatory decisions are made today on emerging technologies, such as genome editing, we can expect an economic result that is at the least more costly and at worst unsustainable for our farmers and ranchers.”
U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry said, “The good news is that many farmers and ranchers are already rising to this challenge, all while continuing to meet the growing global demand for food. The other good news is that our 2018 Farm Bill provides funding support for many of the solutions that are needed.”
Stabenow continued, “Proposals to confront this problem must be bipartisan and must meet two goals: They must increase global agricultural production to feed the billions of people who need food. And they must support modern farming, ranching, and forestry practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and keep more carbon in our soils and trees.”
Click here to listen to the full committee hearing.
