Solutions from the Land’s Global Work Program

April 21, 2023

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(Solutions from the Land) ... Farmers, ranchers and foresters in the 21st century are being called upon to address hunger, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, sequester carbon, navigate and mitigate climate change, build soil health, clean up water sources, and produce clean energy while delivering food, feed, fiber, and fuel, and maintaining profitable businesses that sustain their families’ livelihoods.

What other business is asked to do more? But, also, what other business could do more for society?

There is no life without agriculture, which puts an incredible amount of responsibility—and honor—in the hands of those who are involved in it.

We at Solutions from the Land continue to be amazed and inspired by farmers, ranchers and foresters:

We see them hard at work innovating and doing so much good for our planet from their pieces of the land they and their families steward.

We see them collaborating with one another and with agricultural partners, exchanging ideas and developing uncommon partnerships that allow them to do more together than they could alone.

We see them leading an agricultural renaissance, constructing sustainable, profitable and resilient systems that lay the foundation for a world of abundance on many scales, capable of producing nutritious food, feed, fiber, clean energy, healthy ecosystems, quality livelihoods and strong rural economies.

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As with any organization, we can’t achieve anything without a strategic plan. We want to bring you into an understanding of our goals, and how we plan to achieve them, for 2023-2026.

Our envisioned, overarching outcomes

We want to see the widespread adoption and incorporation of SfL guiding principles, including the need for innovation, technology and farmer consultation, in United Nations (UN) agency documents and subsequent member states’ policies.

We will know we were successful if:

The United National Framework on Climate Change (UNFCCC) formally incorporates agriculture as a solution to climate change in policy documents.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Food Systems Pathways are agriculture-innovation- and technology-neutral and outcomes-focused.
U.S. government strategically uses its negotiating power in global agricultural forum platforms.
Aligned farmer groups and organizations (outside the U.S.) collaborate to guide UN agencies and member states.

How we will accomplish these outcomes

We will:

Develop a cadre of farmer envoys who effectively intervene across the spectrum of SfL global engagement platforms, including:
- UNFCCC
- FAO
- FAO Committee on Food Security
- Global Alliance for Climate Smart Agriculture
- UN Environmental Program
- UN Water Conference
- World Water Week
- World Food Program
- UN Convention on Biodiversity
Build relationships of trust and knowledge-sharing with aligned farmer organizations and collaborate with them to guide UN agencies and member states.
Build an alliance of U.S. agricultural organization that collaborates with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to carry shared messages.
Establish feedback loops to share global developments of U.S. agriculture.
Take a leading voice in the farmer leadership conversation.

In 2023-2026, we will prioritize ensuring farmer voices are heard in international conversations on:

Water
Biodiversity
Food and nutrition security

You can see our full global plan of work for 2023-2026 here.

There is no better time than now to invest in the future of agriculture—which is the future of the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe and the environment in which we live. If we want to take care of our planet, we have to first listen to and enable our farmers and their agricultural partners.

We invite you to join us in our work at Solutions from the Land.

Farmers go to Rome for climate conversations (Solution from the Land)