A new initiative, the Land Use Change Initiative (LUCI), backed by the United Soybean Board (USB) and Carbon A List, is aiming to revolutionize the way land use change is quantified and addressed within the agricultural sector. Launched to tackle the inconsistencies in definitions, metrics, and methodologies currently plaguing land use calculations, LUCI seeks to bring clarity and unity across the agricultural value chain.
At the heart of the initiative are America's farmers, who manage 90 million acres of soybean production. These farmers are key to driving change and implementing sustainable land management practices. "We weren’t at the table, so we had to build our own table," remarked USB Chair Steve Reinhard, emphasizing the proactive role farmers are taking through LUCI to influence climate solutions and land preservation.
The initiative was highlighted at the recent Land Use Change Summit at McDonald’s International Headquarters in Chicago, which convened nearly 100 experts from diverse sectors including agriculture, environmental science, and academia. Discussions focused on creating a unified approach to managing land changes more representative of modern farming practices and enhancing system resilience.
Key achievements of the summit included aligning on definitions, consolidating data sources for better accuracy, and setting strategic directions for future engagements. The event underscored the evolutionary nature of land use change, with a call for patience and collaboration from all stakeholders involved.
Farmers like Nancy Kavazanjian and David Wessel voiced the challenges and importance of including farmers in the conversation, noting the loss of productive farmland to urbanization and the need for a consistent model to compete effectively in environmentally conscious markets.
LUCI's work also extends to supporting projects like Farmers for Soil Health, which aims to double cover crop acres across 20 states, and funding research into seed genetics and biological products that support sustainable farming practices.
For those interested in the ongoing efforts of LUCI or wishing to get involved, resources including a white paper on the initiative’s critical issues and opportunities, along with other detailed reports from the summit, are available on the Land Use Change Initiative webpage.
