USDA Announces Agriculture Innovation Agenda
Today at the 2020 Agricultural Outlook Forum, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced USDA’s Agriculture Innovation Agenda (AIA). AIA will focus on meeting future global demands while reducing agriculture’s environmental impact. The initiative plans to increase production by 40% while cutting the environmental footprint 50% by 2050.
The Ag Innovation Agenda is structured in 4 parts.
- Develop a U.S. ag-innovation strategy that aligns & synchronizes public & private sector research
- Align the work for customer-facing agencies & integrate innovative technologies & practices into USDA programs
- Conduct a review of USDA productivity & conservation data – this would include the environmental side that has not previously been tracked
- USDA has set benchmarks for accountability in food loss & waste, carbon sequestration & greenhouse gas, water quality & renewable energy
Perdue put emphasis on voluntary conservation incentives & efficiency improvements rather than regulations.
For more information about the Agriculture Innovation Agenda, please visit: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/agriculture-innovation-agenda-vision-statement.pdf
References:
USDA Press (2020, February 20). Secretary Perdue Announces New Innocation Initiative for USDA. Retrieved from https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2020/02/20/secretary-perdue-announces-new-innovation-initiative-usda.
Dorning, Mike (2020, February 20). USDA unveils initiative to reduce ag’s environmental impact. Retrieved from https://www.farmprogress.com/sustainability/usda-unveils-initiative-reduce-ags-environmental-impact.
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