Oct. 9, 2003 -- The United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman has released "Food and Agriculture Policy: Taking Stock for the New Century."
This document provides guidance on future agriculture policy and identifies emerging hurdles facing farmers and ranchers across the nation.
A central tenet to the natural resources conservation portion of that policy statement is the proposition that market-based solutions should be developed and implemented as a means to achieve conservation goals.
The document also points out that farmers and ranchers need voluntary conservation opportunities commensurate with the regulatory challenges they face.
USDA is hosting a series of forums to help identify potential opportunities for USDA involvement in environmental credit trading. These open sessions will feature discussion on key issues to help identify the potential opportunities that may exist for Departmental involvement in environmental credit trading.
A series of discussion panels will be presented to provide private entity experiences with credit trading markets. Each panel will consist of people representing the interests of a buyer, seller, and aggregator of environmental credits and others involved in credit trading.
Attendees will gain insight from organizations who have been involved in establishing different environmental credit trading markets. Each forum will focus on one case study and present lessons learned from experienced practitioners. These sessions are scheduled to be held in the Whitten Building on Independence Ave. as follows:
• October 10, 2003; 10:30-11:30 am; Room 107A; Pacific Northwest Direct Seeding Operation-Carbon Credit Trading
• October 23, 2003; 10:30-11:30 am; Room 108A; Tar Pamlico Nutrient Credit Trading Case Study
• November 20, 2003; 10:30-11:30 am; Room 107A; Iowa Farm Bureau Wetlands Banking
• December 16, 2003; 10:30-11:30 am; Room 107A; Winrock International-Carbon Credit Trading
