Centering resilience in US federal agricultural policy

Soil health management – supporting the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soil to support vital living ecosystems – is the key to centering resilience in agricultural systems, including soil carbon accrual. While federal policies promoted by presidential administrations in recent decades vary in the degree and way they support ecosystem-centric approaches and resilience of the agricultural sector, Congress and the agricultural community have remained largely supportive of soil health-related practices. Producers face a myriad of barriers when implementing soil health practices, often stemming from systemic policies that aim to advance conventional chemical-dependent agriculture over resilient alternatives. We present key policy recommendations that shift the focus from soil carbon sequestration to soil health, to create a policy platform for the current Farm Bill for agricultural resilience that puts farmers and ranchers first.