The Expanding Role of Environmental Interests in Agricultural Policy
The Expanding Role of Environmental Interests in Agricultural Policy Resources
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The Shift Towards Environmental Regulation of Agriculture
The long-term outlook for the economy is continued growth, implying a continued general shift of public preference toward environmental regulation of agriculture. Relative farm income is on the rise, reinforcing trends that place greater weight on environmental interests in policy-making. Furthermore, the size and influence of environmental and other public interest groups concerned with agroenvironmental policy is growing.
Factors Driving the Shift
- Changing composition of the House of Representatives
- Increasing agricultural productivity
- Shifts in agricultural trade patterns
- Proliferation of environmental regulation at the state level
U.S. agricultural productivity increased an average of 2 percent per year during the 1980s. As the efficiency of production continues to increase, the costs to the public of agricultural programs will rise (unless demand increases at the same rate—a phenomenon not expected in the short run). These rising costs will likely decrease the political strength of agricultural interests relative to that of taxpayers, implying a future decrease in agricultural protection relative to environmental protection.
Current negotiations under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) are attempting to decrease the level of subsidies to domestic agricultural producers while exempting agricultural programs that are oriented toward environmental protection or conservation from similar cuts. If successful, GATT reforms could promote agriculture as an industry that must be more responsive to environmental concerns.
Regardless of the outcome of GATT negotiations, continued or increased reliance by U.S. agricultural producers on the export market will reinforce pressure for reforms in the agricultural sector. This is because the costs to the public of agricultural support tend to be greater in the relatively price-sensitive export market, and because the direct and indirect costs of environmental degradation associated with production are not passed on to foreign consumers.
The number of environmental standards established, laws enacted, and programs implemented at the state level increased dramatically during the 1980s. This increase was partly in response to federal mandates for states’ development of customized environmental protection efforts, and partly a result of public clamor and responsive legislatures in progressive states. At present, a fair proportion of state environmental legislation specifically targets or has direct implications for agriculture.
Great variation in the environmental laws of individual states can create problems for agricultural industries that operate nationally. If and when such variation becomes a serious constraint, the agribusiness industry itself may exert pressure for federal provision of some uniformity—a move that suggests the possibility of increased centralization of agroenvironmental policy in the future.
The Future of Environmental Regulation in Agriculture
As the U.S. economy grows, new information on the environmental effects of agriculture is made available, and existing environmental legislation is applied to nonpoint pollution sources, the level of environmentally motivated government intervention in agriculture will begin to approach that in other industries. This is not likely to happen overnight or in a continuous fashion. Just as a generally growing economy experiences periodic recessions and expansions, the influence of economic factors on environmental regulation of agriculture is likely to wax and wane.
There is little chance that agricultural protection will be overrun by environmental protection in the near future; only that the level of agricultural protection relative to environmental protection will decline. The form that new legislation takes will depend on the unique characteristics of agriculture, the public’s view of agriculture, and the influence of private interests. However, in the future it is increasingly likely that the agricultural sectors of the United States and other developed countries will be affected by a centralized form of environmental regulation. Moreover, federal budget deficit problems in the United States will make it increasingly difficult to address agroenvironmental problems chiefly through subsidy programs, as has been typical in the past. The choice that farmers, agribusiness, and policymakers face is whether to increase environmental regulation of agriculture through a command-and-con-trol approach or a market-based one. Experience in other industries suggests that the more efficient market-based approach has greater potential for creating a climate under which production that is sensitive to environmental protection is also good for agricultural business.
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 2: Zero Hunger | 2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality. | – Increase in sustainable food production systems – Implementation of resilient agricultural practices – Strengthened capacity for adaptation to climate change |
| SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production | 12.4: By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment. | – Achievement of environmentally sound management of chemicals and wastes – Reduction in release of chemicals to air, water, and soil |
| SDG 15: Life on Land | 15.1: By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements. | – Conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems – Conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of inland freshwater ecosystems |
1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?
SDG 2: Zero Hunger
The article discusses the shift towards environmental regulation of agriculture, which implies a focus on sustainable food production systems and resilient agricultural practices.
SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
The article mentions the need for environmentally sound management of chemicals and wastes in agriculture to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment.
SDG 15: Life on Land
The article highlights the importance of conserving, restoring, and sustainably using terrestrial ecosystems, such as forests, in line with international agreements.
2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?
Target 2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality.
The article discusses the shift towards sustainable food production systems and resilient agricultural practices that can help maintain ecosystems and strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change.
Target 12.4: By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment.
The article mentions the need for environmentally sound management of chemicals and wastes in agriculture to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment.
Target 15.1: By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements.
The article highlights the importance of conserving, restoring, and sustainably using terrestrial ecosystems, such as forests, in line with international agreements.
3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?
The article does not explicitly mention specific indicators to measure progress towards the identified targets. However, some potential indicators based on the article’s content could include:
- Increase in sustainable food production systems
- Implementation of resilient agricultural practices
- Strengthened capacity for adaptation to climate change
- Achievement of environmentally sound management of chemicals and wastes
- Reduction in release of chemicals to air, water, and soil
- Conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems
- Conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of inland freshwater ecosystems
4. Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 2: Zero Hunger | 2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality. | – Increase in sustainable food production systems – Implementation of resilient agricultural practices – Strengthened capacity for adaptation to climate change |
| SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production | 12.4: By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment. | – Achievement of environmentally sound management of chemicals and wastes – Reduction in release of chemicals to air, water, and soil |
| SDG 15: Life on Land | 15.1: By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements. | – Conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems – Conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of inland freshwater ecosystems |
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Source: resources.org
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