WASHINGTON — The National Wheat Growers Association (NAWG) has joined the Ecosystem Services Market Consortium, a non-profit organization working to advance ecosystem service markets.

“Wheat farmers know the importance of managing their operations to maintain soil health and productivity and we are excited to be a part of an organization that is looking at ways to provide farmers incentives and market opportunities for voluntary actions to sequester carbon and improve water quality,” said David Milligan, president of NAWG. “NAWG looks forward to being part of this effort and lending another farmer voice in this group’s efforts to develop a marketplace that benefits farmers and society. NAWG believes its participation in ESMC will help ensure that the program will benefit the grower in the short and long run.”

The goal of ESMC is to launch a voluntary national ecosystem services market conceived and designed to sell ecosystem assets such as carbon and water quality and quantity credits for the agriculture sector by 2022. ESMC’s partners consist of a broad consortium of corporations, agricultural producer associations, NGOs and technology companies.