Alliance to Advance Climate-Smart Agriculture

Supporting producers to increase productivity, strengthen markets, and improve climate resilience.

The Alliance to Advance Climate-Smart Agriculture incentivizes and rewards farmers and ranchers for adopting climate-smart agricultural practices.

Under the three-year, $80-million pilot program, the Alliance and its partners will help producers in Arkansas, Minnesota, North Dakota and Virginia prove the value of paying farmers and ranchers $100 per acre or animal unit for stewardship practices — delivering public value through carbon sequestration, greenhouse gas reduction, improved soil health, water quality, water conservation, and other environmental services.  The pilot is a project of USDA’s Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities, administered by Virginia Tech with participation from more than 14 additional partners.

» What Is Climate-Smart Agriculture?

The Alliance is open to agricultural producers within select Soil and Water Conservation Districts in participating states.  The pilot design, including the structure of producer incentive payments, was developed by Rural Investment to Protect the Environment (RIPE), a coalition of farmers, ranchers, agricultural trade associations and environmental organizations advancing a national policy that invests in rural America by enabling producers to earn a fair return for implementing voluntary conservation practices. RIPE is a former member of the Alliance to Advance Climate-Smart Agriculture.

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Alliance to Advance Climate-Smart Agriculture

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The Alliance to Advance Climate-Smart Agriculture incentivizes and rewards farmers and ranchers for adopting climate-smart agricultural practices.

Under the three-year, $80-million pilot program, the Alliance and its partners will help producers in Arkansas, Minnesota, North Dakota and Virginia prove the value of paying farmers and ranchers $100 per acre or animal unit for stewardship practices — delivering public value through carbon sequestration, greenhouse gas reduction, improved soil health, water quality, water conservation, and other environmental services.

The Alliance is open to farmers, ranchers, and forest owners within select Soil and Water Conservation Districts in participating states.  The pilot design, including the structure of producer incentive payments, was developed by Rural Investment to Protect the Environment (RIPE), a coalition of farmers, ranchers, agricultural trade associations and environmental organizations advancing a national policy that invests in rural America by enabling producers to earn a fair return for implementing voluntary conservation practices. RIPE was a founding member of the Alliance to Advance Climate-Smart Agriculture. The pilot is a project of USDA’s Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities, administered by Virginia Tech with participation from more than 14 additional partners.
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About the Pilot

Over three years, the Alliance will enroll an estimated 4,400-4,800 operations across Arkansas, Minnesota, North Dakota and Virginia. If scaled up nationally, the program could help producers reduce agricultural emissions by 55% and total emissions in the United States by 8% after 10 years.

Our Partners

Our partners were selected based on their experience and expertise, and each have a rich history of working with producers and landowners as well as promoting climate-smart commodities.

Our Team

Find out more about our team, based at Virginia Tech.

We’re Hiring!

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to your questions about the pilot including eligibility for farmers, ranchers and producers, approved agricultural practices, the climate-smart agriculture certificate, and Virginia Tech’s research agenda.

This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, under agreement number NR233A750004G102.  Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this web publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In addition, any reference to specific brands or types of products or services does not constitute or imply an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for those products or services. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.