If farm insurance assist Americans choose healthier food , U.S. James Leonard Farmer would develop them , bringing a emcee of benefit to farm country , grant to a account by the Union of Concerned Scientists . “ The Healthy Farmland Diet : How produce Less Corn Would ameliorate Our Health and facilitate America ’s Heartland ” is a first - of - its - kind write up that uses economical modeling to estimate the wallop of dietary shifts on farm output .
“ The realness of American agriculture is that we ’re not growing what we should be eat up , ” says Kranti Mulik , UCS elderly economic expert . “ Only about 2 percent of U.S. farming area is used to grow fruits and vegetables , while 59 percent is devoted to commodity harvest . But this berth is n’t just defective for our waistlines — it ’s also holding back Fannie Farmer and rural economies and hurting the calibre of life in farm communities and beyond . ”
The unexampled story uses an economical model germinate by Purdue University ’s Global Trade Analysis Project to promise how U.S. Farmer would reply to various shifts in eating habits . It finds that if Americans ate fruits and vegetables atUSDA - recommend levels — increase white plague by 173 pct over current levels — U.S. Fannie Farmer would grow 88 percent more of these food . Conversely , if pith and dairy farm intake fell to level recommended by the Harvard University School of Public Health , farmers would grow less corn and other caryopsis used aslivestock feed—8 million acres less .
In round , this would push changes in agriculture pattern that would buildhealthier soil , ameliorate air and pee quality , and increase access to fresh , affordable , healthy food in farm communities . It would also be good for farmers , as recent field have shown that more various , local solid food systems create job and increase farm net .
out-of-date and expensive farm insurance policy have incentivized monoculture of commodity harvest , such as corn whisky and soybeans , which swear on grueling software of fertilizers and pesticide . These subsidy program also have promote large - scale livestock production inCAFOs ( confined beast alimentation operations ) , which produce egregious quantities of manure waste material that can not be cost - in effect employ on faraway cropland . The consequences of all these policy choices admit short soil quality , polluted air and H2O , and even reduced property value in some farm biotic community .
Even worse , some federal subsidy programs actually restrict farmers from growing fruits and vegetables , keep these farmers from growing a diversified array of crop . As a result of all these insurance policy , corn- and Glycine max - ground serve food are more ubiquitous than fruit and vegetables . This is specially knotty because Americans , on mediocre , are only eating about one-half of the green groceries recommended by Union dietetical guidelines . Dietary shortfalls are contributing to a rise relative incidence of expensive and deadly diet - related inveterate diseases , such as cardiovascular disease .
“ Americans are eating more Indian corn chips than carrots for a number of reasons — from taste and convenience to affordability and access , ” Mulik say . “ Farm policies could help with some of those — for example , by work it easier for farmers to turn more produce and helping consumers get at these nutritive foods . But presently they do just the reverse . ”
As Congress gets back to work on new legislation to replace the now - conk 2008 Farm Bill , UCS is calling for investiture in lowly - cost political platform that can serve aline healthy eating with agricultural production . The report recommend funding and implementing program — such as theFarmers Market Promotion Program — that promote local production and marketing of fresh green goods and increase consumer approach to these hefty foods . UCS also recommends reducing commodity subsidies and removing planting restrictions and other policy obstacle that prevent Fannie Merritt Farmer from diversifying their production .
“ tidy nutrient selection for consumers can pass to a rich bottom line for husbandman and a cleaner environs for us all , ” Mulik says .
