Alternative Agriculture: Federal Incentives and Farmers' Opinions

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.