Presidential Candidates Take on the Climate and Organic Ag

So, what do the Democratic presidential candidates think about climate change and organic agriculture? The Organic Farmers Association (OFA) received responses from two candidates following its recent forum (“Combating Climate Change with Organic and Regenerative Agriculture”) held in Story City, IA. The event, hosted by OFA and the Iowa Organic Association, was attended in person by Sen. Bernie Sanders who spoke to a crowd of 50 organic farmers and fielded questions.

Advertisement

Sen. Elizabeth Warren and South Bend, IN, Mayor Pete Buttigieg submitted written responses afterward to the questions posed by organic farmers at the event.

In their replies, each candidate identified the need for the government to provide incentives to farmers to introduce regenerative practices that can help combat global issues like climate change.

“As President,” said Warren’s response, “I will lead a full-out effort to de-carbonize the agricultural sector and rebuild our soil and water by paying farmers for using sustainable farming practices, expanding research and development in regenerative techniques, and building demand for locally-grown, sustainable farm products.”

Buttigieg referenced his climate change plan and the place that carbon sequestration in soil holds within that framework.

Top Articles
Healthy Soils at Center of New $5 Million Initiative for California Citrus Growers

“My administration will also improve soil health and promote policies to keep our environment safe and healthy,” Buttigieg stated. “I will provide opportunities for farmers to get paid for sequestering carbon in their soil, including through reduced and no tillage of soil, cover crops, precision nitrogen management, improved grazing systems, and science-based crop rotation plans.”

However, they differ on the specific strategies their administrations would utilize to increase the implementation of regenerative agriculture across the U.S.

Warren expressed the need for reinvestment in land grant universities in particular to shift their research focus to “evaluating farmers’ ideas to de-carbonize the agricultural sector, including on breeds, seeds, and methods of farming that will empower us to meet benchmarks in the Green New Deal.”

Buttigieg instead focused on organic integrity and consumer faith in the organic label.

“Continued growth in and demand for organic foods by consumers is an incredibly important part of the agricultural and rural economies,” said his response. “I understand — as any Secretary of Agriculture in my administration will also understand — that the relationship to the consumer is absolutely critical for organic markets to succeed.”

Both candidates state they will commit to hiring a Secretary of Agriculture that supports regenerative organic agriculture.

Sanders’ identification of regenerative organic agriculture as a major topic in 2020 election policy, as well as the remaining candidates’ absence, made significant news following the forum.

Written responses from Warren and Buttigieg are posted in full on OrganicFarmersAssociation.org.

0

Leave a Reply

Avatar for Kyke Kyke says:

I wonder why the author has included more responses from candidates who were unable to find time to meet with organic farmers. As an independent, I disagree with some of Bernie’s opinions but he had valid talking points worth informing your readers about in regards to organic farming.

Avatar for jbd jbd says:

Bernie has been fighting BigAg and the poison cartel for years. He feels the future of our food system and the planet is important enough to be there in person. Bernie is the only Dem candidate to beat Trump…he gets my vote & my $.

Avatar for toni syring toni syring says:

BERNIE is who i have faith in,he cares for everyone and their health and knows the games played behind closed doors

Avatar for Tom OB Tom OB says:

give your money and vote for Bernie,an admitted communist,socialist,how is farming doing in Venezuela and Cuba,two countries that Bernie wants America to be like,wake up please before it is too late.Conventional farming is so much safer and can help feed the starving nations of the world for 1000’s of years to come.

Avatar for EJ EJ says:

Conventional farming, aka industrial chemical agriculture, is only in place to sell pest/herbicides and make the corps richer. These poison-peddlers have no business governing our food system. Politicians, EPA, USDA, FDA are owned by BigAg & Big Pharma and only under Bernie’s leadership, will this end. Organic regenerative agriculture is the future and our govt needs to help our farmers transition.

Avatar for Steve Miller Steve Miller says:

Unfortunately, the general public does not know that organic apples are sprayed with highly toxic pesticides and the toxicity ratings for those organic pesticides are often far higher than for conventional applications. When the organic seal was established in 1990, Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman, under President Clinton, emphasized the fundamental meaninglessness of the organic designation: “Let me be clear about one thing, the organic label is a marketing tool. It is not a statement about food safety. Nor is ‘organic’ a value judgment about nutrition or quality.”

Advertisement