BLACKSBURG, Va. – Virginia Tech leads groundbreaking research to curb climate-changing gases, the largest grant ever awarded by the university.
The university has been awarded $80 million for research avenues to implement climate-smart practices on farms.
Most of the money, at least $54 million, will go directly to farmers and producers to help them implement these practices for crop and livestock production.
The grant will create a three-year pilot program in Virginia, Arkansas, Minnesota and North Dakota that will test the feasibility of rolling out a similar program nationwide.
Farmers receive $100 per hectare or animal unit for adopting climate-friendly practices, which protects the farmer’s bottom line and results in environmental benefits for society.
“If we have fertile soil, we reduce soil erosion, we reduce runoff and pollution from agricultural fields, all of which benefit the public,” said Tom Thompson, associate dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and director-CALS Global. Sciences.
If expanded nationally, the program could help producers reduce agricultural emissions by 55 percent, or 8 percent of total emissions in the United States, after 10 years.
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