Alternative Agriculture:
Federal Incentives and Farmers' Opinions
PEMD-90-12: Published: Feb 16, 1990. Publicly Released: Mar 15, 1990.
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Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO assessed the incentives and disincentives of federal farm programs that influenced farmers' adoption of alternative production methods, focusing on: (1) alternative agriculture, which attempts to address the health, environmental, and economic problems associated with conventional agriculture; (2) implications of federal commodity price and income support, farm credit, and crop insurance programs; and (3) farmers' opinions on the factors influencing planting decisions, sustainability, credit and crop insurance availability, and risk reduction.
GAO found that, while federal farm programs pose no direct statutory or regulatory barriers that would prevent the adoption of alternative practices, the programs: (1) support crops requiring high agrichemical inputs and those associated with high rates of soil erosion; (2) encourage farmers to specialize in program crops and grow the same crops from year to year; and (3) discourage farmers from rotating crops and encourage high levels of conventional inputs. GAO also found that farmers: (1) believed federal farm programs greatly influenced their planting decisions; (2) believed farm program participation and crop diversity were good strategies for reducing farm-related risks, and less than half considered crop insurance to be a good risk-reduction strategy; and (3) expect to continue their current practices, despite research suggesting that conventional agriculture practices damage the environment and other research showing that alternative agriculture can be profitable. GAO believes that: (1) further research is needed to assess the effectiveness of alternative crops and production methods; and (2) while changes in federal farm programs will be necessary to encourage the adoption of alternative agriculture, such changes alone may not significantly increase the use of alternatives.
Jul 17, 2018
Summer Meals:
Improvements Needed to Address Participation Estimates and Program ChallengesGAO-18-611T: Published: Jul 17, 2018. Publicly Released: Jul 17, 2018.
Jul 2, 2018
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Summer Meals:
Actions Needed to Improve Participation Estimates and Address Program ChallengesGAO-18-369: Published: May 31, 2018. Publicly Released: Jul 2, 2018.
Jun 5, 2018
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Farm Programs:
Information on Payments [Reissued with Revisions Jun. 05, 2018]GAO-18-384R: Published: May 18, 2018. Publicly Released: May 18, 2018.
Apr 18, 2018
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Food Safety:
USDA Should Take Further Action to Reduce Pathogens in Meat and Poultry ProductsGAO-18-272: Published: Mar 19, 2018. Publicly Released: Apr 18, 2018.
Apr 16, 2018
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Food Safety:
Federal Efforts to Manage the Risk of Arsenic in RiceGAO-18-199: Published: Mar 16, 2018. Publicly Released: Apr 16, 2018.
Apr 10, 2018
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U.S. Department of Agriculture:
Additional Data Analysis Could Enhance Monitoring of U.S. Cattle MarketGAO-18-296: Published: Apr 10, 2018. Publicly Released: Apr 10, 2018.
Mar 5, 2018
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Food Safety and Nutrition:
FDA Can Build on Existing Efforts to Measure Progress and Implement Key ActivitiesGAO-18-174: Published: Jan 31, 2018. Publicly Released: Mar 5, 2018.
Nov 30, 2017
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WIC:
USDA's Review of Vegetables Available under the Program Followed Leading Research PracticesGAO-18-125R: Published: Nov 30, 2017. Publicly Released: Nov 30, 2017.
Nov 27, 2017
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Food Safety:
FDA Continues to Evaluate and Respond to Business Concerns about the Produce RuleGAO-18-85: Published: Nov 27, 2017. Publicly Released: Nov 27, 2017.
Nov 21, 2017
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Agricultural Promotion Programs:
USDA Could Build on Existing Efforts to Further Strengthen Its OversightGAO-18-54: Published: Nov 21, 2017. Publicly Released: Nov 21, 2017.
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