Limitations in Evaluating Environmental and Agricultural Policy Coordination Benefits

Agricultural policy has traditionally been concerned with the maintenance and stability of farm income, and the provision of a stable food supply at low relative prices. The U.S. Food Security Act of 1985 was the first farm legislation to directly tie farm income and environmental concerns through the Conservation Reserve Program, conservation compliance, sodbuster, and swampbuster provisions. The coordination of conservation and farm income policies contributed to commodity supply control by reducing the availability of arable land, and it promoted environmental quality by removing some highly erodible land and wetlands from crop production. A number of new environmental and food safety initiatives are also being enacted outside the agricultural policy process. The most significant piece of legislation is the Water Quality Act of 1987, designed to control agricultural nonpoint source pollutants that affect water quality. In addition, amendments to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act are being considered. Efforts are also underway to protect ground water and endangered species.