Agricultural Solutions to the Climate Crisis
Agriculture provides unique solutions that help farmers and ranchers not only mitigate climate change by reducing and storing greenhouse gas emissions, but also adapt to the impacts of increasingly variable weather extremes. Learn more about the solutions below.
Climate Solution: Healthy Soils
Cultivating healthy soils draws down and stores carbon, reducing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Healthy soils can improve yields and bolster resilience to climate extremes like drought and flooding, among many other benefits. Learn more here.
Climate Solution: Water Stewardship
Conserving water is vital to agricultural viability in our Mediterranean climate and drought-prone state. Efficient irrigation systems with solar energy can help save water and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Transitioning away from diesel pumps and flooding techniques can help farmers and ranchers save both money and water. Learn more here.
Climate Solution: Farmland Conservation
Conserving farmland and rangeland can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by limiting energy and transportation-intensive urban and suburban sprawl development and protecting lands that can be a carbon sink. We also need farmland for food security, to keep rural economies viable, to provide wildlife habitat and to mitigate flooding and store groundwater. Learn more here.
Climate Solution: Livestock Methane
Transitioning the way manure is handled on dairies and ranches across the state can significantly reduce methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas. These technologies also improve air and water quality, reduce odors and pathogens, reduce chemical herbicide use, cut costs for producers, and produce valuable compost. Learn more here.
Climate Solution: Renewable Energy
By producing renewable energy on-farm, California farmers and ranchers can offset their energy needs, save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. California leads the nation in the amount of renewable energy produced on farms and ranches. Learn more here.
Climate Solution: On-Farm Resilience
From drought to wildfires to flooding, extreme heat and weather and new pests and disease, California farmers and ranchers are on the frontlines of the accelerating climate crisis. The nation’s food supply depends on getting them the necessary resources to adapt and innovate in the face of unprecedented change. Learn more here.
Climate Solution: Climate Equity
Climate equity and justice ensure that the people and communities who are least culpable in the warming of the planet and most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change do not suffer disproportionately as a result of historical injustice and disinvestment. Farmworkers, in particular, are especially vulnerable to the stacking impacts of the climate crisis – including wildfire and heat. Learn more here.
Climate Solution: Technical Assistance
Technical assistance (TA) providers help producers understand and apply the latest climate science and best practices, facilitate farmer-to-farmer learning, lead on-farm research and demonstration projects, and assist growers with applications for grants and cost share programs. Learn more here.
Climate Solution: Wildfire Mitigation Strategies
Farmers, ranchers, Tribes, and other land stewards can help reduce the risk of extreme wildfire by scaling up cultural and prescribed fire and targeted grazing on both private and public lands. Learn more here.
Climate Solution: Research & Planning
Research and planning are the foundations for effective, meaningful climate and agriculture policy. Learn more climate mitigation and adaptation plans and how they can drive policy and funding priorities here.
