The Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate initiative was launched in 2021 and successfully secured $8 billion in pledges last November.
“Climate change continues to affect long-term agricultural practices in all countries, and strong global commitment is needed to address the challenges of climate change,” Vilsack said in a statement.
Vilsack announced the latest funding figures for the initiative at the Mission Agricultural Innovation for Climate summit in Washington on Monday, alongside UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment Maryam Al Muhairi and the former US Vice President. Al Gore.
The UAE is expected to host the Climate Change Summit (COP 28) in November and December.
Maryam Al-Muhairi told the summit in Washington, which will continue until Wednesday, attended by officials from Canada, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, as well as academics and business leaders, that the UAE will ensure that (COP28) is a game changer in food systems.
Al Gore underscored the importance of climate change innovation funding being spent equitably.
“Black farmers, indigenous farmers, low-income farmers also need to have access to this innovation. We need to get them on board,” he said.
A USDA spokesperson said governments are contributing about $10 billion of the $13 billion in funding, with the rest coming from non-governmental parties involved in funding initiatives to support small farmers, emerging technologies and methane reduction.
The initiative aims to unite countries around the goal of reducing agricultural emissions, which represent 10 to 12% of greenhouse gas emissions. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, these emissions come from sources such as livestock manure, machinery and fertilizer use.
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