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Carbon Markets Strategy

Supporting Carbon Market Strategy for U.S. Agriculture and Forestry

Client:

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Energy and Environmental Policy

Challenge

To support U.S. farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners in the face of changing economic pressures and weather conditions, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has prioritized the development of voluntary carbon markets. These markets reward agricultural producers for practices that reduce or sequester greenhouse gas emissions. Ensuring the scientific integrity, economic viability, and equitable accessibility of such markets is complex. The USDA required a trusted contractor to assess market design, define credible emissions accounting frameworks, and shape policies that foster environmental and financial benefits.

Our Solution

Lindahl Reed has provided technical and analytical support to USDA’s Office of Energy and Environmental Policy since 2019 to expand carbon market access for agricultural and forestry stakeholders. Our key responsibilities include:

  • Carbon Market Design Analysis: Evaluate design alternatives for voluntary agricultural carbon offset programs, including the challenges of permanence, baseline establishment, and emissions quantification.
  • Measurement, Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MMRV): Assess protocols and systems for MMRV to ensure accuracy, transparency, and trust in market-based climate initiatives.
  • Economic and Scientific Analysis: Provide data-driven insights to assess how carbon markets can supplement income streams for producers through credible and scalable mechanisms.
  • Program Development Support: Inform USDA’s efforts to meet legislative mandates and design technical assistance frameworks for climate-smart agriculture and forestry.
  • Stakeholder Engagement and Learning: Create platforms for dialogue among farmers, policymakers, and industry leaders on carbon market participation and implementation strategies.

Results & Impact

  • Shaped USDA Carbon Market Policy: Delivered foundational technical insights used to design carbon market policy and guide interagency collaboration.
  • Advanced Understanding of Market Viability: Produced analysis on risks and opportunities within agricultural carbon markets to inform state, federal, and private sector stakeholders.
  • Supported Technical Assistance Planning: Contributed to the development of USDA’s strategy to help producers participate in future voluntary carbon markets.
  • Enabled Evidence-Based Climate Strategy: Strengthened USDA’s ability to align market design with environmental goals and rural economic development priorities.

Why It Matters

Lindahl Reed’s work empowers USDA to bridge the gap between scientific rigor and agricultural realities. By delivering grounded, actionable insights into carbon market development, we support a vision of American agriculture that is economically vibrant and weather-resilient.

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What our Clients Say...

“I can’t thank you enough for the incredible work on this! Many thanks for another great deliverable! This is fantastic—thank you so much for pulling this together!”

Kathryn Zook, Deputy Director for Climate Change and Environmental Markets, USDA
Markets:
Solutions Areas:
Capability Areas:
  • Carbon Market Policy, Climate-Smart Agriculture, Environmental Economics, Technical Assistance Strategy