USDA launches initiative to increase ag production, lower environmental footprint

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has announced the Agriculture Innovation Agenda, a department-wide effort to align resources, programs, and research to position American agriculture to better meet future global demands. Specifically, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will stimulate innovation so that American agriculture can achieve the goal of increasing production by 40% while cutting the environmental footprint of U.S. agriculture in half by 2050.

“We know we have a challenge facing us: to meet future food, fiber, fuel, and feed demands with finite resources. USDA’s Agriculture Innovation Agenda is our opportunity to define American agriculture’s role to feed everyone and do right as a key player in the solution to this challenge,” said Perdue. “We are also continually mindful of the need for America’s agriculture industry to be environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable to maintain our position as a leader in the global effort to meet demand. We are committed as ever to the environmental sustainability and continued success of America’s farmers, ranchers, foresters, and producers.”

The first component of the Agriculture Innovation Agenda is to develop a U.S. ag-innovation strategy that aligns and synchronizes public and private sector research. The second component is to align the work of the USDA’s customer-facing agencies and integrate innovative technologies and practices into the agency’s programs. The third component is to conduct a review of USDA productivity and conservation data. Finally, the USDA has set benchmarks to help measure progress toward meeting the food, fiber, fuel, feed, and climate demands of the future.

Press release