URBANA, Illinois, Feb.26 (IPS) – The White House, just under Joe Biden Issued an Executive Order on U.S. Supply Chains He pointed out that the country needs flexible, diversified and secure supply chains to ensure economic prosperity and national security. Among the recognized threats that can reduce the resilience of US supply chains include climate change and extreme weather events.
Indeed, climate change and extreme weather, which are becoming very frequent and of economic importance, can have a significant impact on the agricultural sector. This was already evident before the global pandemic.
For example, recently, the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service You mentioned that 2020 was tied to 2016 as the hottest year on record. In the same year, the United States witnessed many parties related to climate change including Iowa rightA costly thunderstorm disaster, California Forest fires and floods in them Michigan . These limbs are already emerging in 2021, and they are expected to continue.
The step the Biden administration took is commendable. The question that has become pivotal is: What does a resilient agricultural system resilient to climate change and extreme weather events look like? What are the pillars? Can resilience be achieved in the agricultural systems of the United States today? Can we unleash the rapid process of creating the resilient agricultural systems necessary to meet US food security needs?
Of course, there will be many visions and pathways to achieve resilience in the agricultural sector, because agriculture, agricultural value and the supply chain are complex with many pillars and interrelated activities. Despite the complexities involved in building resilience, there are some basic and key things that must happen.
First and foremost, a resilient agricultural system must take root Healthy soil. Soil is the foundation of life and the base on which to build resilient crops. Healthy soils are essential and prerequisite for achieving sustainable national food security. It is also a useful resource in combating deteriorating climate change because it absorbs and stores carbon from the air.
Alarmingly, the soil is unhealthy and degraded. a Recently published paper It is reported that more than a third of the corn belt, the center of US corn and soybean production, has lost its carbon-rich topsoil. Soil degradation is a global problem with a third of the land being considered partially degraded by agriculture. Without healthy soil, which plays many critical roles including soil carbon storage, resilient farming will not be possible.
Second, a resilient agricultural system must be fully immunized from climate change and the extremes that accompany climate change. Just as we’ve rotated the speed of turn-around to tackle COVID-19, it’s important to unlock science-based solutions to vaccinate our agricultural systems. From using AI to predict climate-related disasters like floods, droughts, and insect pests, to growing climate-smart crops that can withstand disasters, to using smart and intelligent systems, all through agricultural value and supply chains to ensure agriculture and food systems remain on top of all challenges.
Third, resilient farming systems must be ethnically inclusive, fair and equitable. According to data evidence, there are fewer black farmers, a number that has decreased from nearly a million farmers in 1920 to fewer than 50,000, due to historical discrimination, exclusion, and inequality in federal agricultural policies.
It is commendable US Senators Led by Senator Cory Booker (D-N), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Kirsten Gillebrand (D-New York), Tina Smith (D-Minnesota), Reverend Raphael Warnock (DJ) and Patrick Leahy (MD-VT)) took the lead in Change these statistics by introducing a comprehensive bill that addresses these grievances.
Finally, resilient systems must be built in ways that provide ways to transparently monitor and track progress. Americans deserve transparency.
The task of building resilient US supply chains amid current challenges is undoubtedly a difficult one but can be accomplished through a focus on healthy soils, fortified crops, and equitable and equitable farming systems. the time now.
Doctor. Esther Ngombe Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Senior Fellow in Food Security at the Aspen Institute, New Voices.
© Inter Press Service (2021) – All rights reservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service
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