This paper is part of series of issue briefs IATP produced as the lead in to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held in Copenhagen. The case is made for shifting research and investment away from genetically engineered crops and input intensive agriculture practices toward low-input, resilient agriculture systems that increase carbon sequestration in the soil and lesson our output of greenhouses gases.

Agriculture systems that are both adaptive and mitigative should be given the highest priority. Such a transition would redirect government from proprietary genetically engineered seed and crop technologies towards enhancing traditional plant breeding and perennial systems; and shift away from large-scale confined animal feeding operations toward greater integration of livestock production with low-input cropping systems.