Leading climate smart agriculture policy development and implementation with Secretary Karen Ross - California Department of Food and Agriculture
Description
California has been leading efforts to implement climate change policy since Governor Schwarzeneger signed the Global Warming Solutions Act in 2006 to begin the transition to a carbon neutral economy with food and agriculture are a key component of California’s strategy.
Agriculture sits right in the middle of the climate debate, agriculture is a significant emitter and that needs to be acknowleded. Agriculture also has the potential be big part of the solution and the conversation needs to evolve beyond blame into how can we work together to address this ciritcal issue.
Secretary Karen Ross has been leading California Department of Food and Agriculture since 2019 and she is global leader in sustainable and climate smart agricultural where she has been driving progressive food climate policy in California, leveraging the state’s innovative start up culture to create new technologies, working to build resiliant local food systems, and building global partnerships that are critical to addressing cliamte change at scale. California has signed climate smart agriculture MOUs firstly with the Netherlands, followed Denmark, Israel, New Zealand, Australia, Chile, Mexico, and Vietnam.
“Leadership is not just talking to who we know and feel comfortable with. It's the willingness to reach out and to truly listen. And to first understand if I want to be understood.”
Looking towards the future we also need to ask how can we grow food in a changing climate both in highly developed econmoies such as California and also across the Global South. The vast majority of farmers are small a subsustance farmers, frequently living in povery and food insecurity. These people also make up the vast majority of malnourished people globally.
“Hunger drives desperation and creates unrest. Look at the migration patterns that are happening on a multitude of continents because of drought. There's not water to grow the crops. There's not the ability to feed the animals which are their sole income and ability to feed themselves."
United States
