Alternative Agriculture. Federal Incentives and Farmers' Opinion.

Farming in the United States is highly productive, yet several emerging health, environmental, and economic problems associated with conventional farming practices threaten its sustainability. Concerns about conventional farming have led to interest in alternative farming methods that may lower health risks, protect farm resources, reduce environmental damage, and improve long-term farm profitability and competitiveness. To ensure farmers have the flexibility to use a variety of management approaches, particularly those that emphasize low-input, sustainable agricultural methods, te House Agriculture Committee and House Subcommittee of Department of Operations, Research, and Foreign Agriculture asked GAO to assess how current federal agriculture policies and programs may contribute to, or inhibit, the use of alternative farm production methods.