Two weeks after his diesel ban sent farmers reeling, Gov. Gavin Newsom stood at an organic farm Wednesday and hailed agriculture’s accomplishments while signing his next climate order.
“We can't forget about our ranchers; we can't forget about our farmers; we can't forget about agriculture here in the state of California,” said Newsom. “That's California's game that we do better than anybody else.”
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While the order is vague on details, it commits California to conserving 30% of its land and coastal water by 2030, joining 38 countries in the “30 by 30” pledge. Newsom tasked his resource agencies with developing policy recommendations on how to accomplish this. That report is due in the final months of Newsom’s term.
Under the guidance, CDFA will protect pollinators and native species while promoting healthy soils to farmers and ranchers, similar to programs already in place. It did not allocate any funding or call for new regulations.
“We're not going to walk away from agriculture,” said Newsom. “We're not going to dismiss or deny agriculture's future in the state—quite the contrary.”
