Economie politique des programmes agricoles des Etats-Unis

The political economy of us agricultural policy - The United States engaged in an intensive agricultural policy debate in 1985 leading to passage of a new five-year farm bill, the Food Security Act of 1985. The political process sought to achieve several conflicting goals : (a) reductions in support levels to make the U.S. more competitive in world markets and stimulate exports which had fallen off sharply: (b) protection of farm income through government payments in the midst of declining land values and serious farm financial problems; and (c) reductions in the government cost of agricultural price and income support programs which had escalated sharply over the past five years. Since it was impossible to achieve all three of these goals because of inherent conflicts, the architects of farm policy opted to achieve the first two goals and sacrifice budget costs. The Congressional election in 1986 played a major role in shaping this outcome. However, another piece of legislation designed to balance the Federal budget by 1991 requires reductions in expenditures on agricultural and other programs. To the extent deficit reduction is achieved through expenditure cuts, the cost of agricultura price and income support programs will not be as high as initially expected under the new farm bill. The new farm policy has already been implemented for the 1 986 crop season and for dairy products. In the case of major price supported crops, market support (loan) levels have been reduced markedly; e. g. by 27 percent for wheat and 25 percent for corn. As in the past, U.S. agricultural policies will be subject to frequent change as the economic and political environment evolves. However, the basic thrust of the Food Security Act of 1985 is not likely to be altered in any fundamental way. Lower support levels will be maintained and substantial income protection to farmers will be provided through government payments. The cost of this policy to the government could be modified, however, through continuing efforts to deal with the larger budget deficit issue.