Should Question Final Argument

Posted on March 14, 2009 by goblazers

Sustainable agriculture incentive programs are used to motivate farmers to follow sustainable farming practices. In the 1960′s, when the use pesticides had become widespread, it was discovered that DDT was very detrimental to the reproduction of exposed animals and overall biodiversity. Government awareness of these findings and literature like American biologist, Rachel Carson’s environmental novel Silent Spring lead to government incentive programs and the regulation of pesticides by organization like the Environmental Protection Agency(EPA), here in the U.S. Terms like: “Organic” and “sustainable agriculture,” which was coined by environmental activist, Nicanor Perlas in his article The Seven Dimensions of Sustainable Agriculture, are relatively modern, and mark a new generation of health conscious consumers.

Today, organic food and sustainable agriculture are mainstream issues of debate and concern, for both farmers and consumers. Parents are more concerned about what they feed their children, our government is concerned about the economic implications of reforming the agriculture industry and farmers are looking to satisfy the needs of the consumers. My should question is: Should Obama and the new administration increase sustainable farming incentives? My answer is: Yes.

Rewarding farmers for sustainable practices through government programs like the Environmental Quality Incentives Program is an effective way to stimulate change. Farmers who are now expected to alter the way they handle their land, face a costly battle of reforming their practices while maintaining profits. I think that all farms should be sustainable, and free from dangerous pesticides, but expecting the entire agriculture industry to change over night is unreasonable. Without government assistance, farmers who have yet to “ go green” are forced to sell more of their unsustainable product in order to compile enough capital to clean up reform their farms. Ignoring the farming industry’s need for help will only prolong unhealthy and unsustainable practices. Farmers, both big and small need help, and we should give it to them. After all, we as consumers depend on the quality of their product.

On the other side of this argument, there are people who say that the existing demand for organic and sustainable agriculture products is sufficient to motivate farmers to “go green.” Jerry Gardener , of the ODA, conveyed a similar conveyed stance on the issue of increased incentives during my interview with him in February 2009. Agriculture is just like any other industry, in that whoever serves the consumer’s needs best will thrive. People want healthy pesticide-free food that is grown on farms that don’t damage the environment, and the farmer like Horizon Organic dairies, who offer this are succeeding In, addition farmers who add organic and sustainable certifications to their products increase the value of their product and can charge more for it.

I agree that the high level of consumer demand for sustainable agricultural products is enough to motivate farmers to increase sustainable practices on their farms. The problem is that desire to go green is not always enough. Since sustainability are relatively new concept to the industry, many farmers are unfamiliar with how to best implement and maintain these new methods farming practices. Often these procedures are complicated and expensive further emphasizing farmers need for assistance, both financially and educationally. I believe we need to train our farmers, and reward them for conducting sustainable farming. Until the industry is transformed and the sustainable practices are common knowledge, we need to work with our agricultural producers as they make the change from untenable to more viable practices.

Another competing argument against increased incentives is that the word’s current food shortage demands that we continue producing at the fastest, most productive rate possible. This stance makes the case that current large-scale commercial farming practices produce the most amount of food, and as we are in the midst of a food crisis. As we need all the production we can get, regardless of the ramifications. Environmental economic expert, Sean Rickard echoes this stance during on interview at a pesticide legislation on meeting in Brussels, Belgium on October 21^st 2008. Rickard believes that the word food market cannot risk lag time that would be required to change over to sustainable practices.

I think excusing baneful and damaging land practices because of our current food shortage is lazy and irresponsible. Continued use of corrosive pesticides will nullify soil productivity and compound the food shortage problem for future generations. The end does not justify the means. We cannot risk ruining the world’s farmland, and the ability of future generations to produce food tomorrow because we are hungry today. Jennifer Bogo’s article, Cows to Kilowatts in the Feb 2009 edition of Popular Mechanics is an example of a agricultural producer implementing sustainable practices while maintaining profits and production levels. We can’t blindly move forward with behavior we know is destructive without attempting to correct the problem. Arguments like Rickard’s will only increase our food shortage problem in the future.

I think the Obama administration should increase incentives for sustainable agriculture. It is very costly for farmers to convert from existing agriculture methods to sustainable ones, and if we want to clean up our agriculture industry, we should help educate and reward farmers for implementing sustainable practices. Without assistance, farmers who do not have the money to reform their farms will be forced to continue environmentally damaging land practices in order to earn the money to make the change. Consumer demand for organic and sustainable products is not always enough to see the change through. Many farmers are ignorant of and inexperienced in contemporary sustainable farming methods and need to be educated and supported in their movement to offer us healthier, more environmentally safe food.

Source Notes:

Depression and Pesticide Exposure: Academic Research

Horizon Organic: Business Institutional (Image)

What is Organic Worth? Meat Comparison: Academic Research

Green Screen for Poultry Farmers: Academic Research

Santa Monica Farmer’s Market: Alternative Journalistic (Image)

Farmland Information Center: Non-Profit Institutional (Multi-Media)

Environmental Enonomist Expert interviewed about Pesticide Legislation: Gov. Institution (Multi-Media)

Pesticide Parody: Citizen Blog ( Image)

ATF’s New President Jon Scholl: Non-Profit Institutional (Multi-Media)

Jamille Simpson Interview: Citizen Interview

How much poison do you want to eat?: Business Institution Blog