The food system is responsible for an estimated 19 to 29 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Perennial agriculture, which refers to the production of crops that are harvested multiple times and live for several seasons without being uprooted, offers a unique and transformative opportunity to drastically reduce these emissions and sequester carbon while offering a wide range of additional environmental and societal benefits. Nonetheless, there remains a disconnect between public policy scholars and practitioners on one hand, and scientists and farmers on the other, impeding the expansion of perennial practices. To help bridge that gap, the Food Law and Policy Clinic (FLPC) works with a coalition of leading perennial agriculture organizations to support the advancement of a perennial agriculture policy agenda.
Our Approach
In December 2020, FLPC brought together an interdisciplinary group of experts to discuss the transformative potential of perennial agricultural systems and policy opportunities for advancing the field. FLPC has continued to partner with these organizations to conduct research and make policy recommendations to move supportive policies forward and increase awareness of perennial agriculture’s promise. In particular, FLPC has been working with the Agroforestry Coalition and others to introduce innovative policies to support expansion of agroforestry in U.S. agriculture in the 2024 Farm Bill.