Mar 5, 2022
ep.108: ‘Repurposing Subsidies for Favorable Outcomes’
Guest: Todd Barker of Meridian Institute
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In this episode you’ll hear that when subsidies are dolled out
based on positive outcomes instead of crop type – good things
happen.
You see, according to a Sept 2021 UN FAO briefing, agriculture
contributes a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions, 70% of
biodiversity loss and 80% of deforestation across the globe. And,
it’s also true that nearly 90% of the $540 bn in global subsidies
given to farmers every year are “harmful.” It’s true that the
majority of well-intentioned agricultural support now damages human
health, exacerbates the climate crisis, dwindles nature and drives
inequality by excluding smallholder farmers. For real food systems
change, support needs to be better aligned with favorable
outcomes.
To learn more about this whole ball of wax we connected with
Meridian Institute CEO Todd Barker on the myriad ways that the
organization is bringing together stakeholders in the U.S. and
around the world to take action.
“Interest in food systems has never been greater. As challenging and controversial as the problems are, we at Meridian are seeing that while issues about partisanship, polarization, and conflict are capturing media headlines – the hunger for collaborative solutions to these problems has never been higher,” explains episode 108 guest Todd Barker.
The AGree Economic and Environmental Risk Coalition (AGree E2 Coalition) advocates for federal policy improvements to drive broader adoption of conservation practices on working lands. Conservation practices such as cover crops, no-till, and other recognized good farming practices can reduce farm risk to extreme weather events while improving environmental outcomes and soil health. Meridian Institute launched the AGree Initiative more than 10 years ago after more than two years of collaboration with a diverse group of food and agriculture stakeholders.
Meridian is a mission-driven, nonprofit consultancy that has helped clients and partners develop and implement solutions to complicated, often controversial problems—big and small, global and local—for over two decades. They do it with an innovative approach that brings together a deep understanding of the issues at hand, as well as the people, politics, and power dynamics that surround them. Meridian not only shapes meaningful consensus and action in the near term, but also builds partners’ capacity for cooperation that often continues for years, even decades.
The Meridian Institute offers five key services: collaboration, implementation, strategy, research, and philanthropic support. Meridian has a dedicated team of 80 experts and an ability to foster constructive discussions, manage decisions, and support actions that shape the world for the better.
Todd Barker is CEO of Meridian. He currently leads projects that focus on agriculture, food systems, water, climate, big data, and clean energy. A highlight of his over 20 year tenure at Meridian has been the AGree Initiative, which successfully advocated and lobbied for changes in the 2018 farm bill that support soil health. He also has extensive international experience, including current work with the Global Alliance for the Future of Food.
Todd cut his teeth as a mediator, facilitator, and strategist over 20 years ago, working on the cleanup of Rocky Flats nuclear weapons facility. He is a trusted advisor to foundations and funder collaboratives working on agriculture and food systems. He serves on the board of the DendriFund and chairs the board for the Clean Energy Group.