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This Nation’s impressive agricultural success is the product of many factors:
abundant resources of land and water, a favorable climate, and a history of resourceful farmers and technological innovation, We meet not only our own needs but
supply a substantial portion of the agricultural products used elsewhere in the world.
As demand increases, so must agricultural productivity, Part of the necessary growth
may come from farming additional acreage. But most of the increase will depend
on intensifying production with improved agricultural technologies. The question
is, however, whether farmland and rangeland resources can sustain such intensive use.
Land is a renewable resource, though one that is highly susceptible to degradation by erosion, salinization, compaction, ground water depletion, and other processes. When such processes are not adequately managed, land productivity can be mined like a nonrenewable resource. But this need not occur. For most agricultural land, various conservation options are available, Traditionally, however, farmers and ranchers have viewed many of the conservation technologies as uneconomical. Must conservation and production always be opposed, or can technology be used to help meet both goals?
This report describes the major processes degrading land productivity, assesses
whether productivity is sustainable using current agricultural technologies, reviews
a range of new technologies with potentials to maintain productivity and profitability
simultaneously, and presents a series of options for congressional consideration.
The study was requested by the Senate Committee on Environment and Public
Works and endorsed by the House Agriculture Committee, the Senate Appropriations Committee, and the Subcommittee on Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources.
sources of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.