Farmland occupies roughly half of the land in the contiguous United States, so how farmers use their land is critical to the country's environment, public health, and rural communities. Today's federal farm programs, which spent $32 billion last year alone, work against environmental goals and leave the vast majority of farmers out in the cold.

In collaboration with a growing number of environmental, public health, and family farmer organizations and individual activists, Environmental Defense is working to reform the next Farm Bill to help farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners help the environment. Read the coalition statement.

Because farmland occupies so much land, farming is a major part of both the problem and the solution to almost all of the country's major environmental challenges - ensuring clean water, saving endangered species and other wildlife, curbing sprawling development, and even combating climate change. Improved farm practices can also address major health concerns including diseases from improper control of animal waste and the growing threat of dangerous bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. Farm programs can also help preserve and enhance the wildlife value of private forests. These forests occupy another 20 percent of the land in the contiguous United States, so they too must play a vital role in solving major environmental problems.

MAJOR REPORTS

Food For Thought: The Case for Reforming Farm Programs to Preserve the Environment and Help Family Farmers, Ranchers and Foresters (1,787k pdf)

Losing More Ground: A State-by-State Analysis of America's Growing Conservation Backlog

Bush Administration Report on Farm Policy

Bringing Dead Zones Back to Life

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