SAFSF uses focus areas to frame our policy, education, networking, and collaboration activities and offer multiple points of intersection for funders across our network.
According to the Fourth National Climate Assessment, a federal inter-agency report published by the U.S. Global Change Research Program in 2018:
Rising temperatures, extreme heat, drought, wildfire on rangelands, and heavy downpours are expected to increasingly disrupt agricultural productivity in the United States. Expected increases in challenges to livestock health, declines in crop yields and quality, and changes in extreme events in the United States and abroad threaten rural livelihoods, sustainable food security, and price stability.
The report’s predictions refer primarily to commodity crop and industrial livestock production. It does note that Indigenous knowledge offers important insights and interventions that can inform climate resiliency plans, at the same time that livelihoods of rural communities and Indigenous and Tribal communities face unique and heightened risks from the effects of climate change.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that agriculture was responsible for about 11% of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. in 2021. Estimates that also include factors like fertilizer production, land use, and food waste put agriculture’s share of emissions even higher, at 20-25%. The longer conventional and extractive agriculture production methods dominate, and the longer policies that subsidize them remain in place, the higher this share could climb. Consider this animation from the Environmental Working Group showing current and expected U.S. emissions by economic sector. Emissions reductions in the transportation or residential sectors, without reductions from agriculture, food, and fiber systems, will not stave off the worse impacts of the climate crisis.
Expanding regenerative agriculture practices that originated in BIPOC communities, such as those that prioritize diversified agroecological systems, soil health, livestock grazing at non-industrial scales, etc., present a path forward for sequestering more carbon. Reducing fertilizer usage and curbing food waste are also key strategies to address major sources of agriculture emissions.
Climate and environmental funders should consider the current moment a call to action to harness the power of sustainable agriculture, food, and fiber systems as critical climate mitigation and adaptation strategies. Funding farmers, organizations, researchers, and grassroots advocates on the ground working to advance climate-smart practices, helping these groups access unprecedented federal conservation resources, and advocating for policy change in this sector is essential to ensuring a livable and equitable future.
Philanthropy has a key role to play in combatting climate change. Funders can support soil health and regeneration programs, diversified agroecological practices, and livestock grazing at non-industrial scales. These programs help create farms that are more resilient in the face of extreme weather events, and that contribute to the climate change solution by sequestering carbon and lowering methane and other harmful emissions. To connect with like-minded food and agriculture funders, become a SAFSF member.
More resources on Fiber-Agriculture-Climate Connections
These resources are provided for information only; listing here does not imply an endorsement of any organization or its views by SAFSF.
Also see the multi-sector Funder Toolkit on Climate, Health and Equity, a project of eight philanthropy serving organizations including SAFSF.
Below is a listing of SAFSF programs and resources related to climate change.
Join us to explore the intersections of soil health, environmental justice, human reproductive threat and the climate emergency through the lens of extensive and rising herbicide use in US agriculture. Learn […]
Join SAFSF, Health and Environmental Funders Network (HEFN), and your member peers to dive into the recently released funder toolkit, Investing at the Frontlines of Climate Change. […]
As the impacts of climate change accelerate in communities across the country, funders in every sector face immense needs for funding and investment—especially in communities that are disproportionately impacted. The […]
Michael Kavate – Inside Philanthropy May 19, 2021 Extreme weather—from fires to floods, hurricanes to heat waves—has in recent years pushed funders across the country not only to mount rapid […]
The Biden Administration’s American Jobs Plan (AJP) is taking center stage in federal policy conversations. The overall plan calls for more than $2 trillion to be invested in rebuilding infrastructure. Talks between the Biden […]
On their own, brands can make efforts to be more sustainable, more ethical and more responsible. But it will never be enough to bring the fashion industry’s environmental footprint within […]
SAFSF is excited to host a free online screening and discussion of “Gather,” an intimate portrait of the growing movement amongst Native Americans to reclaim their spiritual, political, and cultural […]
2020 Policy Outlook – Funder Strategy Conference Session 1 – We will kick off the conference with a presentation and breakout discussions with policy and grassroots experts, who represent the […]
Please join us online for our 2020 Policy Outlook and Strategy Series: Climate, Agriculture, Farm Bill 2023. We look forward to engaging in discussion and strategy with you! […]
Co-sponsored by the Farm to Fork Initiative and Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders. On Monday, the White House will release its 2019 budget proposal, which is expected to include […]
