A transdisciplinary team of researchers, educators and extension experts led by The Ohio State University has received a $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to advance and co-create solutions to climate resilience of farmers in the Midwest.
In the United States, advancements in specialized farming methods for crops and livestock have boosted efficiency and productivity. However, these improvements have drawbacks such as declines in soil health and organic matter, water quality challenges, loss of biodiversity and increased vulnerability to extreme weather events.
New climate-smart agricultural practices (CSAPs) have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, enhance carbon storage, improve resilience to climate change and ensure the viability of farms. However, traditional, top-down approaches to boost adoption have been slow. This project focuses on working with farmers from the ground up to overcome barriers and find innovative approaches that can accelerate their use on Midwest farms.
“This is an unprecedented investment by the USDA in a farmer-led response to address water quality and carbon sequestration challenges in agriculture,” said Douglas Jackson-Smith, project lead, professor and holder of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Endowed Chair in Agricultural Ecosystems Management in The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES). “We’ll be engaging farmers in Ohio and Missouri, major farm states with different natural environments where the impacts of climate variability on CSAP performance can be compared across time and space.”