The Case for Presidential Action to Reform the Farm and Food System

The Union of Concerned Scientists argues that US farm and food policies are uncoordinated and often work at cross-purposes, leading to economic stagnation in rural areas, environmental degradation, and high public health costs. The brief urges the Trump administration to realign these policies to ensure access to healthy, sustainably produced food while supporting the livelihoods of farmers and food system workers.

• US federal farm and food policies are fragmented across at least 15 agencies and often pursue conflicting goals, resulting in adverse outcomes such as low-paying jobs, rural economic stagnation, and poor childhood nutrition.
• Midsize family farms in the US have been declining for nearly two decades, with an estimated loss of nearly 56,000 midsize farms between 2007 and 2012, which contributes to higher poverty and unemployment in rural areas.
• Industrialized farming practices have led to significant environmental costs, including an estimated $157 billion annual cost for agricultural nitrogen pollution and a contribution of approximately 9 percent of total US heat-trapping emissions in 2014.
• The US food system is characterized by low wages for workers; nearly 20 million people work in the sector, and a survey of over 600 workers found that only 13.5 percent earned a livable wage.
• Federal policies often contradict dietary guidelines by subsidizing commodity crops over healthy foods; between 1995 and 2014, the federal crop insurance program allocated just over 6 percent of its funds to fruits and vegetables.
• Diet-related diseases impose a heavy financial burden on taxpayers, with Medicare and Medicaid payments for cardiovascular disease totaling $172 billion in 2012.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2016). The Case for Presidential Action to Reform the Farm and Food System. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2020-07/UCS_Food_Reform_FS_2016_web.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. The Case for Presidential Action to Reform the Farm and Food System. 2016. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2020-07/UCS_Food_Reform_FS_2016_web.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=The Case for Presidential Action to Reform the Farm and Food System |date=December 2016 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2020-07/UCS_Food_Reform_FS_2016_web.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2016case, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{The Case for Presidential Action to Reform the Farm and Food System}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2016}, month = dec, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2020-07/UCS_Food_Reform_FS_2016_web.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }