On Tuesday morning, September 23, Food Tank hosted “Keeping Farmers on the Land,” a Climate Week NYC Summit in partnership with American Farmland Trust. The invitation-only event explored farmers’ critical role in advancing climate solutions, and the tools and policies needed to help them thrive—from soil health and land protection to agrivoltaics and smart solar strategies.
“Things are incredibly tough for farmers and ranchers,” says Jenny Lester Moffitt, Senior Fellow at American Farmland Trust and Former Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs at the USDA. “Now is the time to reinvest in agricultural communities.”
Watch the full livestreamed event on Food Tank’s YouTube channel.
Throughout the morning, conversations returned to the challenges resulting from U.S. federal funding cuts and uncertainty around future federal support for farmers—in addition to the impacts of a changing climate.
“A year ago, no one really could have predicted what would have happened…we’re increasingly seeing farmers deal with extreme weather events, pollinator disruptions, and a number of economic events,” says John Piotti, CEO of the American Farmland Trust.
In Maine, farm viability is the top concern for U.S. Representative Chellie Pingree: “[I’m hearing] panic, total panic…There’s tremendous worry about programs that were there to help small and medium-sized farmers.”
But speakers also saw reason for hope.
“There have been some really good signs,” says Piotti. “I really feel there’s still common ground around many of these issues…Even in these crazy times, there’s still common sense, common ground policies.”
Despite federal funding cuts, farmers themselves are leading positive changes in fields across the U.S.
“Farmers by their nature are innovative,” says Bryan Hurlburt, Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Agriculture. “They have got to be responsive. Farmers are working on soil health…they’re trying different seeds, doing little things that make a big, big difference for these extreme weather events. They’re also changing their mindset.”
Many of the changes focus on cultivating soil health, which provides a range of benefits for farmers, including improving plant growth and yields, increasing water retention and quality, reducing erosion and nutrient runoff, lowering costs by reducing the need for inputs, and providing habitat for wildlife.
“Whether you’re experiencing drought or flooding, so much of the key is soil health,” says Tim Fink, Vice President of Policy at the American Farmland Trust.
But “if it were easy, it would be done,” Fink adds. It costs money to transition to these practices, and there is more demand for farmer assistance programs than there are resources, especially at the government level. Panelists agree that cross-sector partnerships have a critical role to play.
“It’s one thing to have land access, but how can you have a sustainable and viable business on the land? Partnerships are really key to being able to help the farms. Regional planning commissions, municipalities, nonprofits, and farming organizations are important,” says Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources Commissioner Ashley Randle.
Panelists presented a powerful example of such partnerships through agrivoltaics, or the co-location of solar panels and agricultural activities on the same land, creating a dual-purpose system that generates both renewable energy and food, fiber, or forage.
“This is energy being harvested from the sun, but we’re also going to continue to maintain the farming that has been here in these thriving communities. Agrivoltaics is a way to create community resilience,” says Anna Toenjes, Associate Vice President of Impact & Business Development at Sol Systems, which partners with American Farmland Trust to deploy its solution.
Lucy Bullock-Sieger, Chief Strategy Officer at Lightstar Renewables, says that she has seen agrivoltaic advocates emerge from those who were previously “anti-solar,” as they see it can benefit agriculture, energy, and communities alike. In the arid Western United States, for example, solar arrays can be designed to preserve soil moisture, allowing farmers to maintain their production using less water.
“The farmers are excited, they came hip to hip with us, this is enabling them to invest in their family. Now the next generation sees a viable enterprise,” says Bullock-Sieger. “It’s a different way of farming, but farmers have pivoted from time immemorial…This is not a partisan issue. This is about farmers, food, energy, issues that we are all dealing with.”
Conventional agriculture needs to rebuild its reputation and regain the trust of eaters, according to Bianca Moebius-Clune, PhD, Climate and Soil Health Director at the American Farmland Trust: “We need the face of agriculture to change…a new conventional agriculture that everybody respects.”
Caitlin Leibert, Vice President of Sustainability at Whole Foods Market, agrees, adding that the movement toward regenerative agriculture must be inclusive: “When we talk about a new conventional, I want to strip out the elitism of regenerative agriculture and get back to the joy, beauty, and importance of farming.”
When everyone is invited to the table of holistic and regenerative farming, farming is more fun. Jay Goldmark, Farm Manager at Stone House Farm, describes connecting to a dynamic local farming community when he first learned about cover crops and other practices to boost soil health: “When you add diversity and cover crops and start to add your own nutrients to the farm, that’s self-reliance, and you become an artist. Being a farmer is an art. There’s an artistry in growing food, and I think we need to get back to that,” says Goldmark.
Alice Waters, Chef, Author, and Founder of Chez Panisse and the Edible Schoolyard Project, also sees artistry in growing food, and she finds hope in the opportunity to cultivate biodiversity and edible landscapes.
“We don’t see the potential of an edible landscape…this opportunity that we have is delicious. Everywhere in this country, there are amazing food possibilities,” says Waters. “We have this opportunity to collaborate across the country and around the world.”
For U.S. Representative Adriano Espaillat, the government has a lot of work to do to address the interconnected challenges that panelists discussed on stage. Rep. Espaillat, who advocates for a U.S. Climate Fund to support climate action projects globally, shared a call to action for legislators:
“We must lead by example [in the United States]. We cannot continue to point fingers to other countries for polluting the planet…You cannot be great if your people are starving.”
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Photo by Ryan Rose for Food Tank.
