Monsanto joined a roundtable of leaders from the technology and agricultural sectors at the White House July 29 to offer their assistance and collaborative efforts as part of the President’s Climate Data Initiative.
The focus of the meeting was on releasing data that will help make certain the country’s food system is resilient to the effects of climate change.
The National Climate Assessment, released in May, confirmed that climate disruptions to agriculture have been increasing and are projected to become more severe over this century. Climate-change effects on agriculture will have consequences for food security, both nationally and globally.
Climate change effects will also be seen through changes in crop yields, food prices, food processing, storage, transportation and retailing.
The meeting at the White House included formal commitments by Monsanto and a number of other private-sector companies and nongovernmental agencies to harness climate data in ways that will increase the resilience of America’s food system and help reduce the contribution of the country’s agricultural sector to climate change.
A number of companies, including Microsoft, Google and IBM have already contributed resources to the project.
Monsanto, through its Climate Corporation division, will provide Climate Basic, a free online and mobile service to help farmers identify the impact of recent and current weather conditions on their fields.
