Agriculture, Trade, and Environment: Achieving Complementary Policies (Part 9 of 11)

he previous chapters have demonstrated that global integration , expanding and changing world agricultural markets, and heightened environmental concerns are defining new policy challenges and opportunities for the United States. These trends manifest themselves in global markets that demand growing amounts of value-added agricultural products; an emerging environmental agenda that extends beyond traditional conservation concerns; and an expanding research agenda that increasingly emphasizes environmental protection, food safety, marketing and trade, and profitable, yet environmentally sustainable agricultural systems. Unfortunately, federal policies and programs affecting the agricultural sector have not changed sufficiently to address these new concerns. Indeed, they conflict with the new developments in significant ways. They promote production of bulk commodities and hinder possible opportunities for U.S. farmers in fast growing, value-added export markets. They divert major resources to soil conservation while other issues of significance— water quality, wildlife habitat, and soil quality—remain relatively neglected. Almost two-thirds of agricultural research funding is devoted to increasing farm output, but more output will mean more federal subsidies to export surplus crops, and still more federal funds to " idle " land to control surpluses. As the United States moves toward the year 2000, and as continuing budget pressures constrain traditional subsidy solutions, government must explore innovative approaches to these dilemmas. Furthermore, tensions between agricultural policies and trends in both trade and environmental spheres create costly inefficiencies. Seeking complementary and mutually reinforcing policies for agriculture, trade, and the environment could not only | 197