November 15, 2000

Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman, in an address to the Ecological Cities 2000 Conference in Boston earlier this week, credited his department with helping implement "three important components to liveability and improving the ecological health of cities" over the last eight years.

The first component, he said, is "the essential work of conservation in urban environments -- clearing vacant lots, improving and protecting community gardens, revegetating open space, creating green ways, urban forests and parks."

A second element is work outside the city which still contributes to a city's ecological and economic life. He said USDA has been actively involved in protecting the New York City watershed, which is hundreds of miles from the city but critical to every Manhattan resident. "In order to enhance urban quality of life, we must protect the open space, forests and farmlands just beyond the city limits," he said. "We must understand the vital connection between cities and their surrounding landscapes (and) the common destiny they share."

The third element is to help cities recognize what is necessary to improve their ecological health and then working to get it done. "More and more we see communities taking matters into their own hands and working to protect open space and community gardens. The recent efforts by New Yorkers to stop Mayor (Rudy) Giuliani from destroying community gardens is a prime example," said Glickman, in a post-election dig at the city's Republican mayor.

One USDA program that helps cities protect their "green life," said Glickman, is the urban resources partnership initiative. "Here in Boston, URP has invested $1.8 million over the last five years, reaching over 3,000 people with education and outreach on urban ecosystems," said Glickman.

He also noted USDA's programs designed to protect agricultural land and help farmers work in an environmentally responsible way. "Our Farmland Protection Program provides funding to state and local governments for the purchase of conservation easements from farmers in order to keep their land in production," Glickman said. "Our Conservation Reserve Program makes payments to farmers for idling environmentally sensitive land. We help farmers plant buffers that keep fertilizers and chemicals from running into nearby streams and waterways. Our support for the production of ethanol and other biobased fuels also has an important environmental impact, promoting a renewable energy source and helping control greenhouse gas emissions."