Agriculture Resilience Act of 2023 - Fall

Team Members: Cate Twining-Ward, Oliver Xu, Belén Álvarez, Emma Oonk, Fiona Laird, Freidrich Sayn-Wittgenstein, Lee Yaron, Xioahan Wang, Yini Cui, Yue Yu

The Agriculture Resilience Act of 2023 establishes an ambitious federal framework to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from U.S. agriculture by 50 percent by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2040, while strengthening the long-term viability of farming systems. Agriculture contributes approximately 11 percent of national greenhouse gas emissions and is increasingly vulnerable to climate-driven disruptions, including drought, flooding, and soil degradation. Expanding federal support for climate-smart agricultural practices, improving soil carbon sequestration, and reducing food waste are central to enhancing resilience while maintaining agricultural productivity. The legislation prioritizes both mitigation and adaptation, recognizing agriculture as simultaneously a source of emissions and one of the sectors most exposed to climate risk.

Program design analysis focused on two grant initiatives: Conservation Stewardship Innovation Grants and Food Waste-to-Energy infrastructure grants. Findings demonstrate that technical assistance and regional administrative support are essential to help farmers adopt sustainable practices, particularly for soil conservation and waste-to-energy systems. Budget and staffing analysis showed that allocating substantial funding toward technical assistance improves adoption rates and long-term effectiveness. Performance measurement frameworks emphasized tracking emissions reductions, soil health improvements, and waste diversion outcomes. Successful implementation depends on coordination between federal agencies, regional offices, and agricultural producers, along with sustained funding and monitoring. These investments position agriculture to become both more resilient to climate impacts and a significant contributor to national climate mitigation goals.

Learn more about the MPA-ESP Workshop in Applied Earth Systems Management.