The U.S. Division of Agriculture’s (USDA) “climate-smart” applications are sometimes climate-neutral, and in some instances climate-negative, in keeping with a brand new report.
Of $5.5 billion despatched to farmers through one among USDA’s foremost environmental applications between 2017 and 2022, solely $1.7 billion — 31 % — funded practices on the division’s official climate-smart listing, in keeping with the Environmental Working Group (EWG). Of the highest 10 practices funded by that program in 2023, solely two had been on the climate-smart listing, the non-profit group stated.
“A lot of the [remaining] $3.8 billion in funding went to structural practices like fencing, different livestock practices and irrigation practices,” stated Anne Schechinger, EWG’s Midwest director.
USDA’s Environmental High quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is without doubt one of the division’s largest conservation subsidy applications. It offers funding for a variety of actions on a “climate-smart” listing, together with cowl crops that defend soil and enhance its fertility, no-till soil routines and wetland restoration. EQIP is vital as a result of 10.6 % of the US’s complete greenhouse emissions in 2023 got here from agriculture, in keeping with USDA.
However in 2023 and 2024, 14 “provisional” practices had been added to the climate-smart listing. “Provisional practices are added to the listing ‘provisionally’ as a result of USDA doesn’t have any knowledge/quantification to indicate that they really scale back emissions,” stated Schechinger.
A type of practices is waste storage, particularly the development of manure lagoons. Waste accounts for 11 % of U.S. agricultural emissions, and manure lagoons launch giant quantities of nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse fuel. Manure additionally typically pollutes streams, consuming water and groundwater.
This isn’t the primary time EQIP has come below hearth. “EQIP specifically pays for agricultural practices that aren’t environmentally useful or in some instances actively make the surroundings worse,” in keeping with a report by the Institute for Agriculture and Commerce Coverage revealed in 2022.
Ten practices funded by EQIP had been “industrial” or “factory-farm pleasant,” in keeping with that report, which additionally cited waste storage amenities as an issue.
A spokesperson for USDA referred to as EWG’s analysis “essentially flawed.”
“Sadly, EWG didn’t take into consideration the rigorous, science-based methodology utilized by USDA to find out eligible practices, not the extent of specificity required in the course of the implementation course of to make sure the practices’ climate-smart advantages are being maximized,” USDA spokesperson Allan Rodriguez informed GreenBiz.