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Recommendations Database

GAO’s recommendations database contains report recommendations that still need to be addressed. GAO’s priority recommendations are those that we believe warrant priority attention. We sent letters to the heads of key departments and agencies, urging them to continue focusing on these issues. Below you can search only priority recommendations, or search all recommendations.

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As of October 25, 2020, there are 4812 open recommendations, of which 473 are priority recommendations. Recommendations remain open until they are designated as Closed-implemented or Closed-not implemented.

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Results:

Subject Term: Crops

6 publications with a total of 8 open recommendations
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Climate Change: USAID Is Taking Steps to Increase Projects' Resilience, but Could Improve Reporting of Adaptation Funding
GAO-20-555, Jul 28, 2020
Director: Gootnick, David B
Phone: (202)512-3149

1 open recommendations
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Recommendation: The Administrator for USAID should communicate to all missions and bureaus the expectation that they report data on all funding attributed to the key issue of indirect climate adaptation. (Recommendation 1)

Agency: United States Agency for International Development
Status: Open

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Climate Change: Activities of Selected Agencies to Address Potential Impact on Global Migration
GAO-19-166, Jan 17, 2019
Director: David Gootnick
Phone: (202) 512-3149

1 open recommendations
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Recommendation: The Secretary of State should ensure that the Director of the Office of U.S. Foreign Assistance Resources provides missions with guidance that clearly documents the department's process for climate change risk assessments for integrated country strategies. (Recommendation 1)

Agency: Department of State
Status: Open

Comments: As of January 2020, the Department of State has revised its integrated country strategy guidance to inform posts that they have the option to include a climate risk assessment annex when they change or update their strategies. State noted that they plan to disseminate this guidance to posts in 2020.
Food Safety: Federal Efforts to Manage the Risk of Arsenic in Rice
GAO-18-199, Mar 16, 2018
Director: Morris, Steve D
Phone: (202) 512-3841

1 open recommendations
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Recommendation: The Commissioner of FDA should develop a timeline for updating the risk assessment on arsenic in rice. (Recommendation 1)

Agency: Department of Health and Human Services: Food and Drug Administration
Status: Open

Comments: As of August 2020, FDA stated that it will update the risk assessment when more scientific evidence becomes available. In the meantime, FDA noted that it will continue to monitor research in this area, including ongoing work by the National Academies of Sciences (NAS) Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology, which is currently reviewing EPA's work on inorganic arsenic, specifically on EPA's IRIS Toxicological Assessments of Inorganic Arsenic. GAO will assess whether FDA has taken action responsive to the recommendation when additional information becomes available.
Crop Insurance: Opportunities Exist to Improve Program Delivery and Reduce Costs
GAO-17-501, Jul 26, 2017
Director: Steve Morris
Phone: (202) 512-3841

2 open recommendations
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Recommendation: To reduce the cost of delivering the crop insurance program, Congress should consider repealing the 2014 farm bill requirement that any revision to the standard reinsurance agreement not reduce insurance companies' expected underwriting gains, and directing the Risk Management Agency to, during the next renegotiation of the agreement, (1) adjust the participating insurance companies' target rate of return to reflect market conditions and (2) assess the portion of premiums that participating insurance companies retain and, if warranted, adjust it.

Agency: Congress
Status: Open

Comments: As of March 2020, Congress has not taken action to implement this matter.
Recommendation: To reduce year-to-year fluctuations in the administrative and operating expense subsidies that companies receive at the crop, state, and county levels, the Secretary of Agriculture should direct the Administrator of the Risk Management Agency to consider adjusting the administrative and operating expense subsidy calculation method in a way that reduces the effects of changes in premiums caused by changes in crop prices or other factors when it renegotiates the standard reinsurance agreement.

Agency: Department of Agriculture
Status: Open

Comments: As of March 2020, the Department of Agriculture has not taken action to implement this recommendation.
Genetically Engineered Crops: USDA Needs to Enhance Oversight and Better Understand Impacts of Unintended Mixing with Other Crops
GAO-16-241, Mar 15, 2016
Director: Steve D. Morris
Phone: (202) 512-3841

2 open recommendations
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Recommendation: To improve USDA's ability to better understand the economic impacts of unintended mixing of GE and other crops, the Secretary of Agriculture should direct the Administrator of the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) to work with all relevant USDA stakeholders, including APHIS and the Organic Working Group, to determine what additional information should be sought in future organic surveys, such as the costs of reshipping and re-storing shipments rejected because of unintended GE presence, as well as the costs associated with finding new buyers for such shipments.

Agency: Department of Agriculture
Status: Open

Comments: In its August 2016 Statement of Action on our report, USDA did not provide any new information on actions it has taken, if any, to implement this recommendation. For example, there was no indication whether stakeholders internal to the department had continued to meet to discuss the 2014 Organic Survey results and how to move forward with future survey questions to obtain additional data, such as data needed to better understand the economic impacts of unintended mixing with GE crops. As of September 2020, USDA did not have an update regarding the implementation of this recommendation. We will continue to follow up on USDA's efforts.
Recommendation: To improve USDA's ability to better understand the economic impacts of unintended mixing of GE and other crops, the Secretary of Agriculture should direct the Administrator of NASS to include producers, growing identity-preserved crops, in addition to organic producers in USDA's survey efforts.

Agency: Department of Agriculture
Status: Open

Comments: In its August 2016 Statement of Action on our report, USDA did not provide any new information on actions it has taken, if any, to implement this recommendation. We continue to believe that USDA should survey producers growing identity-preserved crops regarding their potential economic losses from unintended GE presence, as is being done for organic producers. As we previously reported, U.S. acreage planted to identity-preserved crops is significantly greater than that planted to organic crops; yet, little is known about the economic costs to identity-preserved farmers of unintended mixing. As of September 2020, USDA did not have an update regarding the implementation of this recommendation. We will continue to follow up on USDA's efforts.
Crop Insurance: Savings Would Result from Program Changes and Greater Use of Data Mining
GAO-12-256, Mar 13, 2012
Director: Shames, Lisa R
Phone: (202) 512-3841

1 open recommendations
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Recommendation: To reduce the cost of the crop insurance program, Congress may wish to consider limiting the subsidy for premiums that an individual farmer can receive each year or reducing the subsidy for all farmers participating in the program, or both limiting and reducing these subsidies.

Agency: Congress
Status: Open

Comments: As of March 2020, Congress has not taken action to implement this matter.