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Journal of Science Policy & Governance | Volume 18, Issue 02 | June 21, 2021

Policy Memo: Removing Barriers and Creating Opportunities for Climate-Resilient Agriculture by Optimizing Federal Crop Insurance

Laura K. van der Pol (1,2,3), Clara A. Tibbetts (1,4), Danielle E. Lin Hunter (1,2,5)
  1. Colorado State University, School of Global Environmental Sustainability Leadership Fellowship Program, Fort Collins, CO
  2. Colorado State University, Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Fort Collins, CO
  3. Colorado State University, Soil & Crop Sciences Department, Fort Collins, CO
  4. Colorado State University, Chemistry Department, Fort Collins, CO
  5. Colorado State University, Biology Department, Fort Collins, CO

Corresponding author: [email protected]
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https://doi.org/10.38126/JSPG180213
Keywords: crop insurance; agriculture; climate change; diversification; nature-based solutions
Executive Summary: Climate change is devastating global agricultural and economic systems. Nature-based solutions that promote conservation agriculture can address these challenges while mitigating climate change. We propose a pilot crop insurance and research program in the U.S. Northern Plains to promote practices that enhance farm soil health, income, and resilience while mitigating climate change. Such a program could inform nationwide adoption of such practices. We specifically propose eliminating requirements for fallow to insure wheat, funding development of regionally-adapted leguminous crops, and incentivizing whole farm insurance over single-crop yield-focused offerings to promote economic growth and climate-resilient practices. The policies extend across a spectrum of cost, legislative burden, political capital, and time-scales for implementation and impact, offering a balanced and gradual transition to conservation agriculture. Adopted jointly, these recommendations improve farm resilience to climate change by promoting soil health and crop diversification while reducing emissions.

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Laura K. van der Pol is a National Science Foundation (NSF) Fellow pursuing a PhD in Soil Ecology. She studies soil organic matter dynamics in agroecosystems with a focus on pathways to sustainable food systems. Laura strives to enhance scientific literacy and engage in science-informed policy and communication.
 
Clara Tibbetts is a fifth-year PhD candidate in Chemistry with a focus in the use of ultrafast nonlinear optics to study energy storage and renewable energy systems at Colorado State University (CSU). In addition to scientific research, Clara is interested in science policy and communication, and currently leads the Science in Action organization at CSU.
 
Danielle E. Lin Hunter is a fourth-year PhD candidate in Ecology with a Human Environment Interactions emphasis in the Graduate Degree Program in Ecology at CSU. She is interested in social-ecological systems and public engagement in science.
 
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Aleta Weller, Laura Shaver, and Dr. Diana Wall at the School of Global Environmental Sustainability at CSU for bringing us together through the Sustainability Leadership Fellowship. We would also like to thank members of the Agroecology Lab for their helpful comments, Dr. Stephen Rosenzweig and Dr. Meagan Schipanski, whose research inspired this memo, as well as the countless farmers whose livelihoods and research participation made possible our current understanding of paths towards agricultural resilience. Laura K. van der Pol is supported by the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program.
 
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