The Organic Trade Association is spearheading a campaign to advance organic agriculture in climate policy and educate lawmakers about organic agriculture’s ability to fight climate change.

Farmers are already being hurt by the impacts of climate change, from wildfires and shifting growing season to droughts and floods. The need to adapt is not a future need; it’s a present need, Laura Batcha, OTA executive director, said during a virtual briefing on OTA’s climate policy efforts.

The organization has established a formal policy position related to climate action and identified principles and criteria to evaluate public policy to mitigate and address the climate crisis, she said.

“We’re poised and ready to participate in that conversation,” she said.

“We’re focused on what agriculture can do to mitigate the impacts of climate change, reduce the negative effect from agriculture as well as mitigate overall climate impacts by sequestering carbon, but also adaptation,” she said.

Policy decisions must be science-based, data-driven, verifiable and produce measurable outcomes, she said.

“In that kind of rubric, we trust organic agriculture will fare well because these are practices that have been part of organic certification for decades now and organic farmers are well versed at them. We’re prepared to embrace the most rigorous, data-driven, verifiable programs that can be brought forward,” she said.

OTA also wants to see programs that reward good practices and enable systems to improve. That’s going to require research, technical assistance, ongoing measurement and verification, she said.

Promoting soil health and carbon sequestration should be the cornerstone of any agricultural policy related to climate action, she said.

Reducing the use of fossil fuel-based chemicals is another area of focus. Synthetic nitrogen inputs are a major contributor to the overall footprint of agriculture and climate change due to the fossil fuels used to produce them and the impact of nitrous oxide from field application, she said.

“Additionally, we think the policies need to provide support and solutions for mitigation and adaptation,” she said.

Farmers are going to need support in dealing with climate change, whether it’s research, infrastructure development or incentivizing best practices and encourage conservation and ecosystem services, she said.

OTA wants to see programs that foster agricultural diversity, innovation and cropping diversity, she said.

It’s important to the overall mix of reducing the footprint from agriculture but also in sequestering carbon, she said.

The briefing included OTA member farmers and businesses that support the sustainable practices of their farmers.

Kelly Damewood, CEO of California Certified Organic Farmers, described the devastating effects of California’s wildfires this year and the safety and economic risks to farmers and farmworkers.

“I think we all need to realize that it’s time to build increased resilience because these climate impacts are here,” she said.

Christina Skonberg, director of General Mills’ sustainability strategy, said there’s no doubt companies have a critical role to play in addressing climate change.

“But I’d say that this crisis also requires strong policies that elevate organic and regenerative agriculture as a key path to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and drawing down carbon,” she said.