New Jersey Agricultural Climate Summit Report

When farmers, researchers and advocates come together: The New Jersey Agriculture and Climate Summit

On one of the first beautiful days in April more than 60 agricultural and climate leaders gathered at Duke Farms to identify ways New Jersey farms can both increase profitability and accelerate climate change mitigation. The New Jersey Agriculture and Climate Summit was convened by Duke Farms, a center for the Doris Duke Foundation, in partnership with the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, the New Jersey Climate Change Alliance, and the New Jersey Farm Bureau.

Through panel discussions with local farmers and advocates and presentations by climate change and soil health experts these five takeaways emerged:

1. Climate change is and will continue to make farming more difficult for New Jersey farmers.
2. Taking a whole farm approach can increase resilience, profitability, and biodiversity while driving down carbon emissions.
3. Improving soil health has multi-factor benefits for both producers and the planet.
4. Streamlining processes and enhancing collaboration are essential to maximizing existing state, federal and non-profit resources.
5. There is a strong desire for regular peer-to-peer learning pathways.

From the inception of this gathering we worked together to foster an environment where we could build reconnection, generate bold ideas, recognize common ground and cultivate a shared vision for how to move forward. As you’ll see in summary of the full-day gathering, we discovered a lot of exciting opportunities that need more collaboration.

This summit is part of our strategic purpose here at Duke Farms where we restore nature, demonstrate equitable climate transition strategies, and engage leaders through the work we do on our 2,700-acre campus and through the influence of the Doris Duke Foundation.

We’re looking forward to working with our partners to drive this important work forward.