Back J. F. Parr and S. B. Hornick
Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, Maryland, USA
Full Paper (PDF File: 144KB)
Abstract
Soon after World War II, during the late 1940's and early 1950's, many U.S. farms began to shift from mixed crop-livestock operations to highly specialized, monoculture-type, cash grain production systems. This occurred because grain prices were high, energy costs were low, high-yielding varieties were available, credit was easily obtained, and risk was low because of government subsidies and support programs. Livestock virtually disappeared from these systems and were confined to feedlots. Without crop rotations and animal manures to maintain soil productivity, farmers had to increase their inputs of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, Intensive tillage and the lack of appropriate conservation practices often resulted in excessive soil erosion and a decline in soil productivity. Other problems associated with this type of agriculture are the pollution of surface water and groundwater by agrichemicals. Consequently, there has been a growing public concern about adverse impacts of agriculture on the environment and on the safety and quality of food. Questions have also been raised about the sustainability of U. S. agricultural production over the long-run.
Beginning in the late 1970's and continuing through the 1980's to the present, there have been some significant initiatives by the federal government to ensure that U. S. agriculture is an environmentally-sound, resource-conserving, and economically-viable enterprise that produces safe arid nutritious food for consumers. Among these were the 1978 USDA report on "Improving Soils with Organic Wastes "; the 1980 USDA "Report and Recommendations on Organic Farming"; the 1985 Farm Bill that established the Low-Input/Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program or LISA; the 1989 National Research Council Report on "Alternative Agriculture", the 1990 Farm Bill that established criteria for sustainable agriculture, and authorized the development of national certification standards for organically-grown agricultural products; the 1993 National Academy of Science's National Research Council Report on "Pesticides in the Diets of Infants and Children"; and the 1993 tripartite declaration and commitment by USDA, USEPA, and USFDA to develop methods and strategies to reduce pesticide use by farmers, and to promote sustainable agriculture in the United States.