USDA rep pushes Agriculture Innovation Mission (AIM) for Climate at global summit
The USDA’s chief scientist emphasized the U.S.’s commitment to the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM) initiative during a recent G20 scientific summit in Bali.
Chavonda Jacobs-Young, Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics for the USDA, encouraged attending countries to support the U.S.-United Arab Emirates-led (UAE) AIM program, which promotes investment in agricultural innovation and climate-smart agriculture.
“Ambitious investment in climate-smart agriculture and food systems innovation will help create a surge of solutions, enabling the world to meet nutritional needs, increase agricultural productivity, improve livelihoods, conserve nature and biodiversity, build resilience to climate change, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and sequester carbon,” Jacobs-Young said. “For this reason, the United States and the United Arab Emirates launched AIM for Climate at COP26. The initiative continues to grow rapidly, and we look forward to further advancing it at COP27 in Egypt later this year.”
Partnership for the AIM program include 41 countries, as well as dozens of global agriculture-focused service and product providers, universities and food producers.
AIM lists its primary objectives as:
- Scientific breakthroughs via basic agricultural research through national-level government and academic research institutions.
- Public and private applied research, including through support to international research centers, institutions, and laboratory networks.
- Development, demonstration, and deployment of practical, actionable, and innovative products, services, and knowledge to producers and other market participants, including through national agricultural research extension systems.
While Jacobs-Young denounced Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, meeting participants did not reach consensus on the communique due to the absence of language condemning Russia’s actions.
In explaining the U.S. position, Jacobs-Young said Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine as “an affront to the principles we seek to affirm and our efforts to advance international science, technology and innovation for development. In response to Putin’s aggression, the U.S. government has taken measures to limit bilateral science and technology research cooperation with the Russian government.”
Jacobs-Young also emphasized the significant role global leaders play in ensuring sufficient investment in agricultural research and innovation for climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Jacobs-Young also highlighted the U.S.’s leadership role in the global Coalition for Sustainable Productivity Growth, as well as the U.S.’s continued focus on innovative technologies and approaches to reduce food loss and waste in the agricultural supply chain.
