2024 Farm Bill: an opportunity for food and farm security

The document advocates for using the US Farm Bill to transition toward a sustainable food system that achieves net zero emissions in agriculture by 2040 and halts habitat conversion. It emphasizes the link between sustainable agriculture and human health, noting that 38 million individuals lived in food-insecure households in 2020. Key recommendations include protecting Inflation Reduction Act conservation funding, scaling up regenerative agriculture, reducing the 40% of food loss and waste, and improving data collection for climate and nature outcomes.

• Agricultural expansion in the US has caused significant habitat loss, specifically the loss of 1.8 million acres of grassland habitat in the Great Plains in 2020 and 10 million acres between 2016-2020, which contributes to species decline and the release of sequestered carbon.
• There is a critical intersection between agricultural policy and public health, as diet-related diseases cause over 1 million American deaths annually and 38 million people faced food insecurity in 2020.
• The document recommends that Congress protect the $20 billion investment in agricultural conservation and technical assistance provided by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to meet high producer demand for USDA conservation programs.
• To achieve a sustainable pathway, the document proposes several strategic actions: reaching net zero emissions in agriculture by 2040, reducing the 40% of crops and food lost to landfills or fields, and scaling regenerative agriculture to improve biodiversity and soil health.

APA

Friedman, S. (2023). 2024 Farm Bill: an opportunity for food and farm security. WWF International. https://www.worldwildlife.org/news/perspectives/sustainability-works-hub/sustainability-works-index/2024-farm-bill-an-opportunity-for-food-and-farm-security/

Chicago

Friedman, Suzy. 2024 Farm Bill: an opportunity for food and farm security. WWF International, 2023. https://www.worldwildlife.org/news/perspectives/sustainability-works-hub/sustainability-works-index/2024-farm-bill-an-opportunity-for-food-and-farm-security/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Friedman |first1=Suzy |title=2024 Farm Bill: an opportunity for food and farm security |publisher=WWF International |date=7 February 2023 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/news/perspectives/sustainability-works-hub/sustainability-works-index/2024-farm-bill-an-opportunity-for-food-and-farm-security/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{friedman20232024, author = {Friedman, Suzy}, title = {{2024 Farm Bill: an opportunity for food and farm security}}, publisher = {WWF International}, year = {2023}, month = feb, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/news/perspectives/sustainability-works-hub/sustainability-works-index/2024-farm-bill-an-opportunity-for-food-and-farm-security/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }