Farming produces 10% of the nation鈥檚 greenhouse gas emissions, . The U.S. Department of Agriculture is taking new steps to lower that number, but some experts warn it might not be enough.
Last summer, the department spent on conservation programs that encourage climate-friendly farming. That includes planting cover crops like beans and peas, which help soils absorb carbon year-round, and tilling less farmland to keep more carbon stored in soils rather than being released into the atmosphere.
Now, the department plans to spend on national research networks. One network will measure the effectiveness of climate-friendly practices; another will monitor levels of greenhouse gas emissions released through crop and livestock production. That data will be collected over the next decade.
Anne Schechinger of the Environmental Working Group, a nonpartisan research and advocacy organization, said the move is a 鈥渟tep in the right direction, but many years late.鈥�
鈥淚n 10 years, when we have all the data, is it going to be too late to really be reducing emissions?鈥� the agricultural economist added. 鈥淪o many other sectors 鈥� transportation, energy 鈥� are working on reducing emissions. And so it鈥檚 really important for agriculture to be doing that right now.鈥�
And if farming doesn鈥檛 shrink its carbon output, the sector鈥檚 share of the nation鈥檚 emissions is expected to grow to more than 30% by 2050, according to by research firm Rhodium Group.
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