Environmental Defense Fund

Environmental Defense Fund’s mission is to preserve the natural systems on which all life depends. Guided by science and economics, we find practical and lasting solutions to the most serious environmental problems. We believe economic prosperity and environmental stewardship go hand in hand. What distinguishes Environmental Defense Fund is the combination of what we protect and how we protect it. We work to solve the most critical environmental problems facing the planet: climate, oceans, ecosystems and health. Since these topics are intertwined, our solutions take a multidisciplinary approach. We work in concert with other organizations — as well as with business, government and communities — and avoid duplicating work already being done effectively by others.

EDF’s goal is a US agricultural system that is environmentally sustainable and meets food security needs. EDF fully recognizes that we must address agriculture’s environmental footprint in ways that enable US growers to play a major role in meeting the nutritional needs of a rapidly growing population. Our strategies for doing this have always encompassed implementation of the 4Rs in partnership with  farmers and ag advisors, providing farmers with the knowledge and tools they need to implement conservation agriculture practices that address pressing natural resource needs, reduce costs, increase crop yields, and meet farm profitability in the long term. EDF is interested in working with a diversity of partners to make understanding and implementation of the 4Rs the norm in US agriculture. Finding ways that enable farmers to understand and implement management that reflect the 4Rs – right rate, timing, form, placement – for a given farm or field is imperative. The solution is finding ways to reduce what is lost while improving productivity, because nutrients not taken up by the crop that end up in the water and air cost farmers money and impact those natural resources. Enabling growers broadly to have access to tools and techniques to collect and use field specific data to evaluate and fine tune management in-season and for future seasons is a major priority for EDF. EDF is committed to working with a diversity of partners in both the private and public sectors to identify and support expanded use of tools and techniques that enable farmers to actually identify and implement the 4Rs on their operations and to benefit from doing so.

EDF is actively implementing the 4Rs through a number of collaborations, including farmer networks, collaboration with nutrient use optimization tools such as Adapt N, and partnership with United Suppliers to develop and deploy the SUSTAIN program. We hope to continue to build and implement collaborations to expand development, use, and interest in 4Rs decision support tools, technologies, and products.