Cornell University: Cornell Atkinson and Partners Advance Climate-Smart Agriculture Projects
Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability is proud to be an implementing partner on two climate-smart agriculture projects among others announced as part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s initiative Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities. The projects are led by Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture and the National Association of Conservation Districts.
“Connecting Cornell researchers with partner organizations in ways that inform new practices and ensure large-scale impact is key to our mission to move knowledge to impact,” says David M. Lodge, the Francis J. DiSalvo director for Cornell Atkinson. He added, “and we look forward to contributing insights and expertise in ways that can enrich these projects.”
Field to Market’s project centers on the Climate-Smart Agriculture Innovative Finance Initiative, which will use novel mechanisms to accelerate climate-smart practice uptake by farmers, leveraging private sector demand to strengthen markets for climate-smart commodities. The project builds upon the report Financial Innovations to Accelerate Sustainable Agriculture: Blueprints for the Value Chain. Published earlier this year with contributions from Cornell Atkinson experts, the report will continue to shape the scope and impact of the partnership effort.
The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD)’s project will invest in partnerships to increase outreach to historically underserved communities and producers across regions and identify meaningful ways to lift barriers and help bundle acres and products. Cornell Atkinson is assisting in building capacity for outreach and integrated financial and conservation technical assistance.
The Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability is the hub of collaborative sustainability research at Cornell University, forging vital connections among researchers, students, staff, and external partners. The center’s funding and programming accelerate groundbreaking research within and across all of Cornell’s colleges and schools. In turn, the center is the university’s home to bold ideas and powerful new models that ensure people and the planet not only survive, but thrive.