Something to try for American farmers
Farmers in the US are paid by the government to grow crops that aren't needed, to use wasteful and harmful farming practices, and to keep afloat a system that should have gone under long ago, in its present form.
The English have a similar agriculture situation, but are actually moving to do something about the sorry state of affairs. In particular, they are hoping to bring about reform, with such example moves as:
- paying subsidies not so much for producing crops but increasingly for conserving the countryside
- increasing organic farming substantially, as more than 70% of the organic food eaten in the UK is imported
- requiring farmers to have licences guaranteeing they will work the land in an environmentally friendly way before they can qualify for subsidies
- encouraging them to establish co-operatives and to use farmers' markets
- urging supermarkets to sell more food produced in their own localities.
If only American farmers and lawmakers could be as bold.