Nearly 1 billion people are hungry, and even more are food insecure. Farmers and ranchers around the world are having to adapt to changing climate conditions to continue producing enough food to feed the growing global population, support their own livelihoods and their communities.
How do we solve these challenges? The solutions lie in climate-smart agriculture innovation, which holds the promise for creating a surge of solutions that will increase agricultural productivity, improve livelihoods, conserve nature and biodiversity, build resilience to climate change, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and sequester carbon.
The United States and the United Arab Emirates launched the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate) on November 2, 2021. AIM for Climate seeks to address climate change and global hunger through greater public and private sector investment in, and support for, climate-smart agriculture and food systems innovation that will lead to more rapid and transformative climate action. AIM for Climate government partners provide the crucial foundation, through public investment in climate-smart agriculture and food systems innovation. Non-government partners build on that foundation with “innovation sprints” – investments in specific, impactful, expedited efforts – or by providing critical knowledge for identifying investment gaps, challenges and opportunities.
At launch AIM for Climate announced an initial $4 billion in increased investment in climate-smart agriculture and food systems innovation mobilized by its partners, but this alone is not enough. We depend on farmers and ranchers for the food we eat and every day their jobs get more difficult, more innovation is key to creating future solutions. USDA is proud to be a part of this effort and USDA employees are working hard on solutions. Together we can and must do more. We encourage all to join us on this journey. To learn more, visit www.aimforclimate.org.