According to a new public opinion poll released by the American Farm Bureau Federation, a majority of U.S. adults have positive views of farmers’ sustainability practices.
The survey of 2,200 U.S. adults found that more than half (58%) rate the sustainability practices of U.S. farmers positively, with broad agreement from a majority of adults across all demographics.
Nearly nine in 10 adults trust farmers, which is a 4% increase from AFBF’s June 2020 polling; evidence the public recognized that food supply chain challenges brought on by the pandemic were not within the control of farmers and ranchers.
The survey also explored public attitudes about the environmental sustainability achievements of farmers and ranchers, with more than four in five adults saying environmental and economic sustainability are both important for farmers.
“Americans have a high level of trust in farmers, and they understand that we’re committed to protecting the soil, air and water,” said AFBF President Zippy Duvall. “We want to leave the land better than we found it for our children and grandchildren, as well as our nation. Our survey demonstrates that Americans are impressed by advancements in climate-smart farming and we look forward to building on that success.”
The survey also showed that more needs to be done to increase awareness of agriculture’s small contribution to greenhouse gas emissions; more than 4 out of 5 adults incorrectly identified agriculture’s impact, although nearly half ranked it as the smallest contributor.
According to the latest EPA data, agriculture accounts for 10% of total U.S. emissions, far less than the transportation, electricity production, commercial and residential, and industry sectors.