Cover crops have gained elite status as a way for farmers to fight climate change. But a closer look at the growing body of research raises questions about their ability to lower greenhouse gas emissions.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture spent $7.4 billion dollars on two of its conservation programs in recent years, but a report from an environmental group found a very small percentage of that money went to practices that help fight climate change.
In the first year of his second stint as Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack has made some progress on important issues, but there are other areas where the department is lagging.
On Tuesday, Canada backed a controversial initiative aimed at boosting countries' support for high-tech farming methods designed to reduce emissions and mitigate the impacts of climate change on farms and food.
The proposed Build Back Better Act includes $28 billion for climate-smart agriculture—the biggest investment in agricultural conservation programs since the Dust Bowl.
Diversified farming is an example of "climate-smart agriculture" - farming techniques that help growers and herders continue to make a living, even as climate change brings harsher and more unpredictable conditions.
