Scientists shielding farming from climate change need more public funding. But they’re getting less

Public funding for agricultural research in the U.S. has been declining for the last two decades, a process Trump has rapidly accelerated by freezing or pausing support for a variety of research programs financed by the USDA, EPA and other organizations. That’s a problem for farmers on the front lines of climate change, says a new study that examined the need for public research and development funding to counteract losses due to climate-fueled unpredictability and extreme weather. Public funding for agricultural research in the U.S. has been declining for the last two decades, a process Trump has rapidly accelerated by freezing or pausing support for a variety of research programs financed by the USDA, EPA and other organizations. That’s a problem for farmers on the front lines of climate change, says a new study that examined the need for public research and development funding to counteract losses due to climate-fueled unpredictability and extreme weather.  AP Technology and Science