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BPC’s Energy Project Releases New Paper: Leveraging Outreach and Technical Assistance to Scale Natural Climate Solutions

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Miki Carver

Washington, DC – The Bipartisan Policy Center’s Farm and Forest Carbon Solutions Initiative today released a new paper to provide an overview of how the current outreach and technical assistance delivery system for farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners can be leveraged to achieve wide-scale adoption of climate-friendly practices.

The new paper, Leveraging Outreach and Technical Assistance to Scale Natural Climate Solutions, identifies the link between climate change mitigation and outreach and technical assistance to producers and landowners. Scaling natural climate solutions (NCS)—agricultural and forestry practices that increase carbon storage or avoid greenhouse gas emissions—will require extensive outreach and recruitment of producers and landowners coupled with access to technical assistance resources across the United States.

“Effectively engaging private producers and landowners will be essential for wide-scale deployment of NCS across the U.S. to meet mid-century climate goals. Nature is the focus of tomorrow’s climate discussions at COP26, and we hope to see acknowledgement of the role private producers and landowners will play in implementing NCS,” said Lesley Jantarasami, managing director of the Energy Project. “The main aim of this paper has been to identify best practices, gaps, and opportunities for improvement in the outreach and technical assistance provided through USDA conservation programs.”

This information is vital for understanding what is working in current programs, who is benefiting from these programs, and how existing barriers can be lowered to increase participation, especially for historically underserved groups. Producer acceptance of practices that sequester carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions will be essential to achieve meaningful and lasting climate mitigation through our natural and working lands.

Click here to read the full report.

Members of BPC’s Energy Project are available for interviews.

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