CEA Food Safety Coalition Comments on Ag's Role in Reducing America's Carbon Footprint
WASHINGTON, DC - Our industry is one that understands the delicate balance of nature and the importance of the relationship we hold with the earth. As Earth Day approaches, President Biden has called upon farmers to lead the way in offsetting greenhouse gas emissions, and the Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Food Safety Coalition has released a statement in agreement with the President, offering ways in which CEA can help drive forward future sustainability efforts of the agriculture industry.
"Agriculture, by nature, cannot move quickly enough to address decades of environmental degradation. In the U.S. alone, we are losing three acres of arable farmland every minute. Add that to crippling climate change concerns, including a significant water shortage in 40 of the 50 states, the future of agriculture is under dire threat, and the field alone cannot feed the growing world population," said Marni Karlin, Executive Director of the CEA Food Safety Coalition. “We need to find a climate-smart solution that allows year-round production. Controlled environment agriculture offers a powerful solution to solving food insecurity and climate change. As an innovative, technology-driven method of farming, CEA reimagines how food is sourced and distributed. The sector is uniquely positioned to engage with local communities to build sustainable local food distribution systems.”
In a release sent to AndNowUKnow, the CEA Food Safety Coalition outlined some of the key ways that controlled environment agriculture—including greenhouses, vertical farms, and other indoor farms—uses traditional farming knowledge combined with with engineering, plant science, and technology to optimize plant life.
Some of the ways in which the CEA Food Safety Coalition and its growers have helped positively impact climate change include:
- Using less water - indoor farms have the capacity to save millions of gallons of water each week and use as much as 95 percent less water than traditional farms. Reduce virgin land use for crop production
- Increasing per square foot productivity because there are no weather or season constraints
- Localizing production and taking advantage of shorter supply chains that reduce food waste and other losses due to supply chain externalities
As organizations throughout the fresh produce industry continue to increase sustainable practices, stick with AndNowUKnow as for updates.
