Ag’s Vital Visibility at COP29

Agriculture again will be a point of focus at this year's United Nations Climate Change Conference in Baku, Azerbaijan and several U.S. representatives, including from the agricultural sector, will participate in COP29; a far cry, according to Ernie Shea of Solutions from the Land, from about 15 years ago. 

“And I remember that very well because Secretary Vilsack was there and we were both lamenting that. That agriculture wasn't even on the agenda. Hardly. We were convening off-site at a university talking about agriculture as a solution. Yet the negotiators didn't even have agriculture on the agenda.” 

Fast forward from 2009 to today, Shea, along with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and others with the U.S. delegation at COP 29, will be part of what is expected to be a robust discussion of farming and forestry as a climate solution. 

“So, for COP 29, the Presidency this year has prioritized agriculture once again,” Shea noted.  “They have a special initiative. I believe it's pronounced the Harmonia initiative that will have a very strong focus on adaptation challenges, especially those faced by smallholders and women in developing countries. But agriculture will have its own day. It's November the 19th. And we'll be there with many other agricultural stakeholders sharing the good news that agriculture can deliver solutions.” 

The importance of public private partnerships in not only sustainable agriculture implementation, but promotion as well. Is not lost on Shea and other American farm leaders involved in such efforts. 

“We've been working not just with the secretary's office, but with AFIS, with NRCS, with the Foreign Agricultural Service, with the Office of Chief Economists, and there are multiple touch points within these agencies that have benefited, we think from our contributions and we work together as a team where we're advancing a public/private sector solution platform that is much more robust than just USDA or the U.S. government showing up at a climate convention and offering solutions. 

“We're doing it to demonstrate that the entire value chain is on board here, because that's what is going to be required to meet these major challenges around climate change,” Shea added.

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