US Farm Programs and the Impacts on National and International Soil Security

Abstract

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) administers numerous programs that contribute toward global soil security, many of which are under the umbrella of the Farm Service Agency (FSA). This chapter explores those programs and ways in which they contribute toward National and International Soil Security. The two primary roles where FSA programs contribute are establishing minimum working land conservation requirements related to program support and conserving environmentally sensitive land. Most farms and ranches in the United States receive payments through at least one of the disaster assistance, safety net, and/or conservation programs administered through FSA, and all farms that participate in FSA farm programs and farm loan programs as well as other conservation and crop insurance programs administered by USDA are subject to conservation compliance provisions. Conservation compliance is focused on both preventing the loss of wetlands and ensuring that soil erosion is minimized through following site-specific conservation plans. Celebrating its 30th anniversary, the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is by far FSA’s flagship program related to soil conservation with about 24 million acres nationwide. In general, in exchange for a yearly rental payment, farmers voluntarily agree to remove environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production and plant species that improve environmental health and quality for the life of their 10–15-year contract. By targeting fragile cropland and placing these lands into protective conservation covers, CRP conserves wildlife habitat, improves water quality, and has reduced soil erosion by more than 8 billion tons and enhanced soil productivity significantly since 1986. CRP also sequesters more carbon on private lands than any other federally administered program and reduces greenhouse gases equivalent to removing 8.7 million cars from the road annually.